Like Fire and Ice
by Is Og Ild
Summary: Xehanort decides to go after the New Seven Hearts. An icy queen suddenly finds herself very far from home in search of her missing sister. A fiery keyblade wielder hunts for clues on a mysterious dark haired girl haunting his dreams. Can these total opposites manage to work together long enough to find the answers they seek in a journey across worlds? [A twist on the events of KH3]
1. Chapter 1

Axel shot up in bed with a gasp, green eyes wide and jaw clenched.

Panting and quivering slightly, his gaze flicked about the small, dark room and it took him a second to remember where he was. That he had been asleep. Dreaming. That this was what was real, not… wherever he had just come from. He struggled to slow down his breathing, inhaling deeply and letting it out gradually. Still, it took a few minutes for him to calm down as he cleared the fog of slumber from his mind.

Drawing one leg up to his chest, he planted an elbow on it and raked his fingers through his sweaty scalp.

So. It had been another one of _those _dreams. He'd been having them for, what… a month now? They seemed to be getting more frequent too. Funny thing was, he never could recall what they were about. Not even a damn sliver of a memory. But he always knew when he had them. Because it was always the same when he woke up from them. Dread. Despair. Panic. And a strong, inescapable feeling of loss. Like he had misplaced or forgotten something… something important...

He shook his head, snorting softly through his nose. He needed to get a grip and stop overthinking things. It was just some whacked nightmare messing with his head. Probably just a byproduct of his bad habit of staying up all hours of the night and not getting enough sleep. Or maybe he just kept eating something before bed that didn't agree with him.

Glancing over his shoulder towards his bedroom's only window, he could see it was still night out, but only just. The first thin rays of dawn were beginning to peek out over the horizon. With a soft sigh, he closed his eyes and let that gentle early sunlight warm his skin.

_Don't hold back, Lea. Promise?_

Kairi's words from yesterday ghosted through his mind and he frowned at the memory. At the time, Kairi's face had blurred, her hair and clothes had faded to black. Next thing he knew, a couple of rogue tears had escaped unbidden to streak down his cheeks. He'd told her that something was in his eyes, but really, he had no clue where they'd come from. Only that overwhelming sense of loss once again… but over what, he couldn't put to words.

His hand went to his chest, lightly scratching over where his heart beat. It still felt strange having it back… somewhat uncomfortable at times, even. Like it had come back wrong somehow. Like it didn't quite fit right. Maybe it was malfunctioning. Running haywire. Could explain all these random emotions that kept popping up outta nowhere when the situation didn't call for them.

It was still taking some getting used to… having this whole spectrum of feelings now at his fingertips once more, after a decade of going without. And even with having had his heart returned to him for a some time now, Axel still was floundering a bit with it all.

But he supposed he just needed more time to grow accustomed to it again. After all, going from feeling nothing at all to feeling _everything_ was no easy adjustment. Especially since the last time he had felt emotions, _really_ felt them, had been when he was a teenager. Now it was over ten years later and he was a full grown adult, emotions back with a vengeance. In some ways though, he still felt like that same punkass little kid. He had never really had the chance to grow out of that stage, not really, not like most people did.

How do you adult? He didn't have the first clue.

With a grunt, he flopped back down in his bed and stared up at the ceiling.

'_Kay, but stop apologizing._

_Fine… on one condition. Call me Axel from now on. Got it memorized?_

Kairi hadn't questioned it, merely smiled and agreed. Probably for the best. He wasn't quite sure what he'd have told her if she'd asked. Certainly not the truth… that he didn't feel like he deserved the right to go by his old name.

Not yet.

Upon becoming a Somebody again, he'd been thrilled, running around telling everyone to call him Lea once more. But as time had gone on and his exuberance faded, it had started to sink in that it didn't feel… right. Nor exactly. Lea had been a good person. A naive, headstrong one to be sure, but still good. But he was no longer a good person. He was no longer Lea.

There was still so much for him to atone for. So many wrongs he had to right. He had a long road ahead before he felt he could truly be Lea again. And until that day, he'd hide behind the name Axel like a mask.

...plus, there was something oddly comforting about Kairi calling him Axel, as strange as it might've seemed. Chalk up another one to some wires getting crossed when he'd gotten his heart back.

Alright, that was enough head scratching for one morning. With a yawn, he rolled over onto his side and squeezed his eyes shut, having every intention of full on passing out once more.

It was not to be.

He had just started to drift off when he was startled awake again with something smacking him square in the face.

"The hell?!" he snarled, sitting up and yanking the offending object off his head to discover that it was a pillow. Scowling, he looked up from it to find that he was no longer alone in his room. "Kairi?"

His fellow redhead stood just inside his doorway, light from the hallway behind her streaming into his room. She was fully dressed and ready for the day. Hands on her hips, she flashed him a Cheshire grin. "Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

He gave her a dull stare. "Don't you know you shouldn't go throwing pillows at sleeping people? You could suffocate someone!"

"Yeah, right," she rolled her eyes and jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "Get your rear outta bed, we got a busy day of training ahead of us."

He laid back down, pulling the covers over his head. "No way. I'm not getting up at the butt-crack of dawn. Go train by yourself. Or whack Merlin a few times with that keyblade of yours, I'm sure he'll love it. It'll show initiative."

She laughed, "I get it. You're an old man getting on in years. You need your rest. Can't quite keep up with us young'uns anymore." She yelped and jumped back, using the door as a shield to block the pillow he threw at her.

"I'm not old! I'm only twenty-six, you snot-nosed little brat!"

"Wow, rude! I think I liked you better when you were all sweet and wouldn't quit saying sorry, jerkface!"

He shrugged, a smirk tugging at one corner of his lips. "Can't have it both ways, Princess. That ship has sailed, per your request. This is what ya signed up for now. Don't like it? Tough noogies."

"Whatever you say," she tugged her left lower eyelid down with one finger and stuck her tongue out at him, "ya old coot!"

He narrowed his eyes at her. "I hope you enjoy sleeping on a pile of ash."

Kairi's brow furrowed at that. "Why would I do that? I have a bed."

"That _will_ be your bed," he grinned wickedly. "Or rather, what'll be left when I'm through with it."

Growling, she retrieved the pillow from the floor. "Go in my room and you're _so_ dead!" With the final word, she hurled it back at him once more, whacking him in the face a second time. He let out a muffled choking noise, then went very still. A few seconds passed where nothing happened. Kairi frowned suspiciously. "...Axel?"

He remained motionless beneath the cushion.

She huffed out a breath, "Pfffft, please. You haven't suffocated. Not that quickly." She marched over to his bedside, reaching out for his sheets to yank them off him, "Quit being a dork and-"

The second she was in reach, he jumped up with a yell, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her down. She shrieked and squirmed to break free as he gave her head a vigorous noogie. "What'd you call me, brat? What'd you-"

She elbowed him hard in the gut, forcing him to release her as he let out a pained, "Oof!"

"Drop dead, you dorky old fart!" she taunted with a laugh as she ran out the door, finally leaving him in peace.

He chuckled before stretching and sprawling out in bed once more.

Oh, Kairi. She was like the little sister he had never… _wanted_. She was one royal pain in the neck. All attitude and spunk and stubbornness. As annoying as she could be at times, he also kind of admired her in a way. He wasn't quite sure how someone so tiny could contain such gargantuan amounts of fierceness. Nah, she wasn't half bad, not at all. Just a headache sometimes. Just like any younger sibling would be, if they were doing their job right. If nothing else, she did make for a good sparring partner.

He looked towards the window again. A new day had officially commenced and there would be no getting back to sleep now. Not after that rude awakening. With a groan, he dragged himself out of bed and started to get ready.

* * *

"Try to keep up, gramps! I'm now seven ahead of you," Kairi smirked, taking a swing with her keyblade at a floating tea set. That's right, she was being literally dive bombed a frigging _teapot,_ complete with petite cups and saucers. Kairi's attack smashed every last delicate little piece of the ensemble into hundreds of porcelain shards that clattered to the ground, inanimate once more. "Make that eight."

Axel snorted, flourishing his own keyblade out to parry an enchanted chair that had lunged at him. Behind it, hopping comically towards him on stubby wooden legs, was two more seats just like it. In fact, he and Kairi were surrounded by a whole army of ensorcelled furniture, from foot stools to tables, wardrobes to candlesticks.

If there was one thing to be said about wizards, it was that they certainly had interesting if somewhat unorthodox methods for combat training.

The two of them were defending themselves against the horde of home decor in a giant forest clearing. The neighboring trees formed an almost unnaturally perfect circle around the huge meadow on which they made their stand currently. This spot, dubbed the Ring, was the preferred training grounds for the pair of fledgeling keyblade wielders.

Pushing his attacker away, Axel slashed his blade underhand, tearing the poor thing asunder before he leapt back, dodging out of the way as its allies tried to pounce. Two more slices and they were nothing but kindling. Spinning around on his heel, he spotted a whole living room set charging directly towards him. There had to be at least ten household furnishings there, all grouped up together in a neat little package. He grinned.

Perfect.

Throwing his free hand forward, fire swirled and danced down his arm and launched like a smouldering cannonball towards the pack. It found its mark, striking dead center of the small battalion and exploding like a mini-nuke. There was nothing left of the little guys but soot and blackened splinters.

He winked over he shoulder at Kairi. "You were saying, Princess?"

She shot him a glare out of the corner of her eye. With a harrumph, she grumbled, "No fair."

"Please," he shrugged, grin widening. "All's fair in love and kicking your sorry butt."

Dodge rolling out of the way as a broom launched itself at her, she skewered it with her weapon before turning to the next wave of enemies. Pointing her keyblade straight ahead, it glowed and suddenly a wall of water was conjured from thin air, gushing forward and hitting the bewitched furniture hard, smashing them like a shipwreck in a thunderstorm. She then gave him a cocky smile with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I'm gonna make you eat those words."

"Bring it."

The banter died down as they focused once more on slaughtering the mystical objects assaulting them. They weren't tough and Axel almost felt bad that they were wrecking Team Feng Shui so hard. What he had to remember however was that while these things were total small fries individually, what they had on their side, what made this exercise a challenge, was the fact that they had sheer numbers on their side. There was no end to the onslaught. It had felt like he and Kairi had been at this for hours already. Maybe they had been. It was hard to tell, the sky didn't exactly follow the normal rules of daylight here in this weird magical pocket dimension Merlin had created for them. His brow was beaded with sweat and he could feel the dull ache of exhaustion beginning to settle into his muscles.

As he ducked an attack from one of his opponents, he decided to mix it up a little bit and try something new, something fancy. Something that he had seen Sora do in the past that Axel had always wanted to try. Spotting a fresh squadron of cookware being bravely led into the fray by a stout grandfather clock, he pulled his arm back, his keyblade slowly lighting up with a warm glow. Then he flung his arm forward at full force, releasing the weapon and sending it flying. It spun into a blazing blur of flames, striking the clock first, making it burst into smoldering jagged pieces as the keyblade ricocheted towards the next nearest foe. It struck that one, obliterating it as well, before bouncing to another. Then another.

Axel pumped his fist in victory, watching his attack keep going, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Then he stretched his hand out, willing it back to him. The blur of flickering crimson and orange curved around and soared directly back towards him, smacking hard against his awaiting palm as he caught it. His keyblade-

Wait. No. He blinked and frowned. It _wasn't_ his keyblade that he now held within his grasp, but rather one of his chakrams.

"_Enough!_" a voice called out out across the battlefield.

All the flying furniture fell immediately and eerily still. Kairi had her blade raised overhead ready to strike, eyes darting about at the abrupt halt in action. Slowly she lowered her arm and relaxed. Across the way, behind the dense mass of the chairs, cabinets and dust pans, stood Merlin.

He stepped forward, approaching the two keyblade wielders. The sea of his home appliance minions parted, letting him pass. His blue robes rustled around his feet and his long pointed hat rested atop his head as usual, making him appear much taller than he actually was. As he came to a stop before them, he didn't speak right away, instead fixing them both with a calculating look as he stroked his lengthy beard. Weapons dismissed, both Axel and Kairi stood at attention, like soldiers in a war, waiting for their commander's orders.

Finally, he folded his arms within his sleeves and spoke. "Kairi is victorious this challenge."

"Yes!" she cheered, bouncing in place with a clap of her hands.

"What?!" Axel snapped, ignoring her as she razzed her tongue at him. "Oh come on! I was winning!"

The wizard puffed out his mustache a bit. "True, you were in the lead for number of adversaries vanquished. But as this is _keyblade_ training, victory must be awarded to the one actually wielding a keyblade."

"But I _am_ wielding a keyblade! I-" he cut himself off, pressing his lips together into a thin line. Then he rubbed the nape of his neck with one hand, throwing the other up in a half shrug. "Or… I _was_. But then it, I dunno… decided to take a vacation."

"No excuses!" Merlin thwacked Axel over the head with his wand, producing a surprised grunt out of him. "If you truly wish to ever be a keyblade master, my boy, you're going to have to learn how to properly control your keyblade. You can't have it coming and going as it pleases."

"Tch," his lips curled as he lightly massaged his sore cranium. "I'm trying."

"Not hard enough apparently," Kairi muttered in a sing-song.

Axel pinned her with a glare. "I will end you."

"Try it, old timer."

"An excellent idea," Merlin's voice broke in, interrupting their little squabble. As they both looked to him again, he clarified, "We shall end today's session with a match between you two. Summon your blades." He poked the tip of his wand into Axel's chest with a pointed look . "Both of you."

With a graceful sweep of a hand to one side, Kairi summoned her keyblade once more in a dazzling glimmer of radiance. Then she looked to Axel expectantly. One corner of her lips was upturned in a tiny smile of encouragement. _You can do this. I believe in you, _was her silent message.

He crooked his arm up, staring down into his empty palm with a frown. Even after weeks of practice, he still struggled with summoning his keyblade. Also had trouble keeping it around after the fact, as recent circumstances demonstrated. This hadn't been the first time the blasted thing had left him high and dry.

He had to wonder what would happen this time when he called. Would it come? Or…?

Only one way to find out.

Facing his hand away and stretching his arm out before him, he closed his eye and concentrated. A few seconds passed where nothing happened. Then a few sparks and flicker of flames sputtered within his palm. Gritting his teeth, he pushed harder. Suddenly, fire exploded forth from his hand and flared out, taking shape into a giant key. His keyblade. He breathed a chuckle.

Well look who decided to show up.

Looking across the way, Kairi giggled and gave him a thumbs up. He nodded in return.

With a small lift of his chin, Merlin took a couple steps back. "Very well. You may commence when ready."

Smirking, Axel saluted her with his weapon before getting in a combat ready stance. "Loser buys winner ice cream for a week."

She bit back a grin, twirling her own blade a few times before slinging it against her shoulder. "Your wear and tear is showing, grandpa. You sure you want to be making bets you can't win?"

His eyes crinkled. "Check the leaderboard," he nodded his head to one side, indicating some scribbles that had been hastily scrawled out in the dirt at the edge of the forest clearing. The word "Rankings" was crudely written out as a makeshift header, underscored with a line. Beneath that were two names: Axel on top in slot number one, and Kairi following behind in slot number two. "I think I'm pretty confident in my odds."

She scoffed. "I can't believe you felt the need to make that pathetic thing to puff up your own fragile male ego."

"What's that I hear?" he cupped a hand to his ear with a half-grin. "Why, I do believe it's the pitiful whines of a sore loser."

"Savor this moment while you can, because you know what?" She smirked back as she took on a defensive pose, putting one foot behind the other, bending her knees and holding her keyblade in both hands. "I'm going back to where I belong!"

Something went off in Axel's brain. It was small and sharp, almost like a pop, but he didn't so much hear it as felt it. It was followed by a dull, distant ache that made him wince and press a hand to the side of his head as he gave it a shake, "W...what…?" His vision was blurring again, colors and indistinct shapes slowly beginning to melt into one another.

"Don't give me that look! You heard me, I'm going back where I belong… at the top of that leaderb-"

Suddenly the minor ache erupted into searing pain behind his eyes. He cried out, stumbling and now gripping both his hands to his heads, his keyblade vanishing. He hardly registered the look of shock on Merlin's face, nor the surprised worried on Kairi's. Her lips were moving, saying something. _Axel_. He could see but not hear it. All sound had been muted, everything except for this ringing. It was faint at first, but swiftly becoming louder and more high pitched, reverberating around his skull a thousand times, threatening to rip it apart.

The pain intensified and he could no longer stand. With a strangled grunt, he fell to his knees as his sight began to fade to white. The last thing he saw was Kairi running towards him in what felt like slow motion. Then everything was swallowed in a blinding light.

Finally, he passed out.

* * *

"I thought I'd find you up here."

Axel glanced out of the corner of his eye, spotting Kairi emerging from the trees behind him. He was sitting on a boulder atop the hill overlooking the vast forest. The same spot he'd found Kairi writing her letter to Sora the day before. This was where they always came when they needed a break from all that grueling training Merlin put them through. It was a nice spot. Quiet. Calm.

He shrugged, eyes forward once more and focused on the blazing sunset. "...how long was I out for?"

"Not long," she replied, taking a seat nearby on the tree stump to his left, tucking one leg beneath her. "An hour tops."

He said nothing, just stared out into the horizon. When he had come to, he had found himself alone back in his own room, tucked in his bed. He had felt fine for the most part. Just a lingering shadow of a headache that had made him grimace when sat up, but had quickly waned. Even so, some part of him knew he should have stayed put and gotten some bed rest just to be on the safe side.

But then… Axel had never really been one for playing it safe.

Already restless, he had gotten up and left his room, going outside and meandering into the woods towards this vantage point. After Merlin had spirited him and Kairi away to this reality outside of time and space to continue their training, it hadn't taken him long to discover this spot and lay claim to it. He liked it. It… reminded him of the clocktower in a way. It wasn't exactly the same. Instead of a quiet, sleepy town below, there were only trees stretching as far as the eye could see. Instead of his friend, the company he kept was mainly himself. Plus the occasional appearance from a certain feisty redhead in a pink dress.

No, the clocktower it was most certainly not...

...but still… the place brought him comfort all the same.

Kairi was suddenly shoving something in front of his face and he rocked back, blinking a couple times. She was holding out a bar of sea salt ice cream for him, with its twin in her other hand held close to her chest.

Heh. Nostalgia complete.

Smiling faintly, he took the offered sweet from her. "I should be the one buying you ice cream. After all, you won, fair and square."

She shrugged, licking her own as she swung her left foot. "Call it a freebie. Besides, I wouldn't really say what happened was fair or square."

"Yeah…" was all he said, staring down at the frozen treat.

"So, what _did_ happen exactly?" she asked carefully.

His shoulders bobbed once. "Your guess is as good as mine. One minute, everything's fine and dandy. The next?" He turned the ice cream bar sideways and slid it along an invisible horizontal line, letting loose a long, one note whistle. "...flatlined."

She was silent for a moment, staring at him hard. He avoided looking at her, just continued staring out into the crimson twilight. Finally she said, "You may not know exactly why… but you know _something_." His eyes widened a fraction as he finally looked her way. Smug, she gave her ice cream another lick. "You should know by now, you can't hide anything from me. I know all. So spill it."

That earned a snort from him. Running his fingers through his hair, he said, "I've been… having some strange dreams lately."

"Dreams?" her head tipped to one side. "What about?"

Axel shook his head. "That's the thing. I can never remember them. I just always wake up from them with this awful feeling."

"...and you think they could be related to whatever happened to you during training today?"

"Maybe. Who knows," he shrugged.

She gave a low thoughtful hum, before asking, "How long have you been having them?"

"A few weeks or so… not sure exactly." Come to think of it, they had started not long after he and Kairi had started their keyblade training with the old wizard. Strange. Coincidence? Probably.

"Have you told Merlin about these dreams?"

"Nah. Didn't want to bother him. I'm not some bawling toddler who goes running to his old man anytime I have a nightmare." At last he raised his ice cream to his mouth, biting down into it. Swallowing the mouthful, he added, "I'm sure it's nothing."

"It's not nothing if it's causing you blackouts," she huffed. He shrugged again, taking another bite. She pulled a face at him. "Then again, maybe eating your ice cream that way is what's causing it. I don't know how you don't get brain freezes."

"Can't freeze fire incarnate itself, sweetcheeks," he snickered.

"Seriously, Merlin should-"

"Drop it," he said flatly. "Please."

Her cheeks puffed out in annoyance, but she fell silent. Sucking on her ice cream with a tiny scowl for a few seconds, she popped it back out. "Maybe this all ties into the problems you've been having with your keyblade."

"Doubtful," he smirked wryly. "That thing had a mind of its own long before my troubles in dreamland began."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "You think keyblades have minds?"

"Well, yeah. In a way." Having already finished his bar, he pointed the remaining stick at her. "Take for example Sora's keyblade. Or rather, Riku's, once upon a time. Then that fateful night on your little play island happened and ol' Snow-top welcomed the darkness with open arms and let it devour him whole. His keyblade decided it wanted nothing to do with that mess o' crazy and swapped horses to golden boy Sora."

Kairi gnawed her lower lip. "You have a point." She lapped at her ice cream, which was still for the most part intact and beginning to melt. "Alright. If keyblades are capable of thinking for themselves and making choices, why's yours giving you such a hard time?"

He stuck the stick between his teeth and chewed it thoughtfully. "...I think mine likes me. Finds me interesting, maybe even amusing. Enough anyway to answer my call what few times it has. But I don't think I've really _earned_ it yet. I haven't shown it that I have the right to be its master. It's sticking around for now, waiting for me to prove myself… but I'm not sure that it'll wait forever."

"Okay then," she pursed her lips to one side. "How do you go about winning it over?"

"Beats me." He sighed and leaned back on his hands. "Whatever it wants, I don't think I'll find it here, training. Talk about snoozefest." He waved a hand out towards the sky. "Maybe I should be out there, in the field, getting some hands-on experience. That's how Sora and Riku did it. I never really was the traditional schooling sort of guy anyway."

She didn't respond right away, mulling over his words. "...well, whatever you do, don't go running off without saying something first, 'kay?"

"What, worried you'd miss me too much?" She shot him a sour look and he snerked. "You got it, Princess." There was a brief lull as he gazed off into the horizon once more. Kairi said nothing, seemingly content to just keep slowly nibbling away at her chilly snack. Then, "Hey... do you ever think about Radiant Garden?"

She paused with a frown, blinking up at him and furrowing her brow. "What about it?"

"I dunno, just... do you ever think of popping over for a visit?"

"Nah." Noticing some of her ice cream had dripped onto her fingers, she licked it off. "Pass."

He gave a soft harrumph. "It's your home too, ya know. You should drop by sometimes."

"But it's not my home."

He rolled his eyes. "What, and some cruddy little islands out in the boonies are?"

"Nope," she said, popping the P. "One place was where I was born. The other was where I was raised. But neither are my home." She placed a hand over her heart, closing her eyes as a gentle smile curved her lips. "Sora and Riku. Wherever they are, I'm home."

He stared at her for a few seconds, face blank, before shifting his gaze back out into space with a derisive snort. "Sap."

Kairi flinched and inhaled, struck by a realization just a little too late. "Sorry. You… miss Roxas still, don't you?"

He shrugged. "No more than usual. I'm a big boy. I'll get over it."

"He's a part of Sora now. He's not lost, not completely anyway."

He supposed what she said was true.

Didn't make the whole situation suck any less.

"Besides," she added after a pause, "Sora, Ienzo… they're all working so hard to bring him back, so I'm sure it won't be long before you'll be reunited with your friend. And… we'll get Isa back too. Promise."

He grinned at her. "You bet your butt we will. Even if we have to drag him kicking and screaming the whole way."

She chuckled softly with a nod, returning her attention to her ice cream. Not another word passed between them as they fell into a companionable silence, each lost in their own thoughts while the final rays of the dying sun gradually shifted from red to purple.

* * *

_**AN**: Oops, I'm at it again! Starting another story filled with my crack ship shenanigans! To anyone who knows me from my other works, thank you so so much for returning to put up with more of my BS! To anyone new and just discovering me, welcome and thank you so so much for taking the time to read this... perhaps I will soon convert you to my ways... mwahahahahaha!_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the wonderful and stunning** Daughter of Kyne** for being a fantabulous beta for this chapter! Thank you, jujube, you da best!_

_Also credit to **Skirtzzz** for doing the absolutely amazing, flipping gorgeous, and positively divine **cover art**! You can find her at her website skirtzzz-dot-com (replace the "dot" accordingly), as well as pretty much any social medias under that username._

_We've just barely scratched the service with this first chapter! Mostly laying some ground work for our dear sweet fire boi here. Next chapter we peek in on our lovely ice queen and maybe even get a little *gasp* dare I say plot?_

_Fun Fact: I started writing this story before KH3 came out! Now that it IS out and I have sunk hours upon hours into the game, this lil story here has understandably undergone some revisions to make it more fitting to what actually happens in the game. For example, that little line from Kairi this chapter "I'm going back to where I belong" that made Axel pass out? Was originally "Please don't hold back, Lea. Promise." But then Kairi went and used that very line in that one scene in KH3 and I was like "well shite"and had to scramble to find another quote to use and change up the whole scene around that one damn line in order to make it work xD I hope I succeeded in the rework!_

_Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! Catch you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you very soon! Much love, peace out, word to your mothers, and other such phrases that shouldn't be coming out of the likes of lil ol' me!_


	2. Chapter 2

Thirteen massive stone pillars stood tall in the middle of an immense dry dusty wasteland. A lone figure was perched atop the largest of the rock outcroppings, his ankle-length black and grey coat flapping in the harsh desert breeze. He appeared ancient, what with the steep hunch to his shoulders and the high sun reflecting off his bald wrinkled head. His golden eyes studied the cragged plateaus off in the distance as he waited, arms folded behind his back, fingers drumming idly against the opposite arm.

"You summoned us, Master Xehanort," a voice said as a dark portal abruptly appeared on one of the other pillars. It dissipated just as quickly, leaving behind a man in a black robe with his hood up, kneeling down low on one knee, head bowed.

"Teacher's pet," a second voice scoffed. Five other Corridors of Darkness deposited five more hooded figures onto various other jagged columns. The first cloaked entity shifted his head sharply towards the one from which the sneer had originated, but made no retort.

Xehanort did not bother to even grace them with so much as a look, just kept his back to them all and continued to stare off into the distance. "The New Seven Hearts," he said, tone flat. "Bring them to me."

No one said anything at first as there was a brief exchange of glances. Then, "But what about the one that's also a Guardian? We've lost track of her and believe one of the sorcerers have hidden her away with their magic."

The old man shook his head. "Worry not about her. When it's time, she'll come to us herself."

Still some hesitation. "...three of them are still unknown to us. How will we-"

"I trust," Xehanort cut in, raising his voice slightly as he now turned to face them, "in your very capable abilities to seek out and swiftly fetch them all." One wispy eyebrow arched. "See that my trust is not misplaced. Now go." With that, swirling darkness erupted around him and he vanished.

"Huh," one of the hooded figures looked to the others. "I thought the New Seven were only a backup plan. The Guardians seem to be playing ball, so what gives?"

Another crossed one arm over their abdomen and tossed the other hand up in a shrug. "Maybe he's looking to raise the stakes."

"It's not our place to question Master Xehanort," a third growled. "Only to carry out his commands without delay."

"I don't care why the ol' codger changed his mind," this one giggled behind their fingers. "I was getting so _bored_ just twiddling my thumbs all day. This will be _fun_."

"Enough. You have your objectives. Make haste and go." A churning black portal leapt up around the figure and they were gone.

One by one, the others followed suit. The last to leave gave a derisive snort as tendrils of darkness rose from the ground beneath their boots and began to wrap around their form. "Thinking he can order me around. As if." Then they too were swallowed whole by a Corridor, leaving the thirteen pillars to their quiet solitude once more.

* * *

Elsa's hands rubbed anxiously against one another. Her bare, exposed hands. How she longed and all but prayed for the return of her gloves as she worried her bottom lip between her teeth, eyeing the throng of people before her.

Anna had decided to throw a ball. Celebrating what, one might wonder? So many things… no more keeping secrets, no more shutting each other out, the castle gates being flung wide open at last with the intent of never closing them again… the list could go on and on. But to be honest, knowing Anna, she was probably celebrating just for the sake of celebrating and Elsa wouldn't be surprised if this was only the first of many more parties to come. After all, Anna had to make up for a life's worth of missed festivals and revelry - Elsa was sure that's how her sister would see it anyway. And… Elsa couldn't blame her.

She sighed. Had it really only been a day since it had all happened? It felt like a lifetime ago. So much had occurred in so little time.

Only one day had passed since she had fled from her disastrous coronation. One day since she had cursed her kingdom with a magical winter that had stretched far and wide. One day since her brave, kind, wonderful sister had sacrificed herself to protect her. One day since those vile little shadow creatures, those… Heartless had attacked. One day since that traitor Hans had succumbed to darkness and mutated into a monstrous wolf spectre, only to be defeated by a mysterious boy with nothing but an odd weapon shaped like a key and his strange companions.

The bizarre trio of heroes had departed not too long after that. A few dregs of Heartless still popped up here and there, but they were scarce. A dying breed, really. She had left Marshmallow on patrol duty, scouring the land for the last of them and squelching the foul things out of existence. Any he missed she simply banished with a snow-laced blast from a wave of her hand.

The queen pulled herself out of her musings, returning her attention to the here and now. She stood in front of her throne, her pale gown woven from ice glittering under the lights overhead, her platinum blonde braid pulled forward over one shoulder. She watched her guests dance and laugh, all the while subtly wringing her hands together as butterflies stirred in the pit of her stomach.

Sure, her people had been so accepting and welcoming of her and the powers she wielded. It warmed her heart to feel all the love and acceptance practically radiating off her subjects and directed at her. And she did her best to put on a brave front, smiling for the crowd as she put on demonstrations for their amusement, freezing the fountains into beautiful ice sculptures and magically transforming the castle courtyard into an ice rink for skating. She was trying so hard… and yet still…

She couldn't help worrying.

She knew… she _knew_ she no longer needed those stupid gloves. She knew how to control her powers now. Or, at least, she was starting to get a handle on it anyway. Just because she better understood her powers, didn't mean that had fixed everything over night. There were still a few… kinks to work out. If for instance she were to be surprised, she might still frost the ground beneath her feet. Or if by chance she were to be angered, the air around her might pick up with an icy gale.

It… was still a bit of work in progress.

But that didn't mean she needed those accursed gloves! Those awful, wretched things. Those symbols of her life-long, self imposed confinement of fear and loneliness. Those gloves were just a crutch, nothing more. She had nothing to be afraid of now. She wouldn't hurt anyone. She _wouldn't._

…right?

Just when she was about to lose her nerve and retreat to a smaller, private room, her eyes met with her sister's. Anna was exactly where anyone who knew her would expect her to be - smack dab in the middle of all that merrymaking, being lifted above the sea of dancers by Kristoff and whirled around, having the time of her life. The brief instant where the sisters' gazes met, the princess smirked and stuck her tongue out at the queen before her nose wrinkled with laughter as she disappeared into the crowd once more.

A grin fought its way onto Elsa's face, which she hid behind her fingers.

And just like that, the butterflies in her belly scattered and fluttered away.

She could do this.

Taking a deep breath and releasing it, she stepped forward and descended into the mass of revelers. The crowd parted slightly as Elsa made her way through it - not by any sort of impressive amount, but just enough to respectfully allow the queen her personal space. She nodded and smiled to any guests who greeted her as she passed, and politely declined any humble offers to dance. She may have been beginning to warm up to this whole mingling thing, but twirling around the ballroom hand in hand with another? She wasn't quite there yet.

Her blue eyes came to rest on Olaf and her feet stilled. He was off to one side of the great hall, cheerily chatting up a second snowman as he twirled about the dancefloor with it beneath his small conjured flurry. This other snowman was of the normal variety, just a pile of snow packed tightly together to vaguely resemble a person, not magically alive like Olaf himself. The adorable sight brought a smile to Elsa's face, but she couldn't help a pause to wonder as she raised a knuckle to lightly tap against her lips.

Perhaps it was high time she crafted a small friend for Olaf. Marshmallow was all well and good, but he was hardly the most social of creatures. More the strong silent type, he prefered to steer clear of large crowds and keep to himself. Not to mention he and Olaf didn't have the best history, what with Marshmallow having dismembered the poor little guy before tossing him out of the ice palace the last time they'd encountered one another. No, perhaps it was time to summon another being of snow that would be a little more… compatible with Olaf and able to keep him sufficient company.

As she pondered over it, a flash of auburn across the room interrupted her thoughts. Turning her head to focus on it, she spotted Anna, giggling and tugging Kristoff behind her. She pulled them towards a door leading out of the ballroom, stopping in front of it briefly, her eyes darting about. Then she planted a swift peck on his lips before yanking him through the door and out of sight.

Elsa's eyes narrowed. Oh no. Not on her watch. Those two had known each other for hardly more than a day and there they were, already sneaking off for secret trysts. She supposed it was better than getting engaged after less than twenty-four hours, so progress was being made in a sense, but still... Anna's actions were not befitting of a princess! Elsa was going to have to put a stop to this right-

Her mind immediately fell mute when she caught sight of Olaf waddling up to the same door Anna and Kristoff had just slipped through. He'd abandoned his makeshift dance partner in favor of mulling over the exit now before him, rubbing his chin with his spindly twig fingers as he pursed his lips to one side. It seemed Elsa was not the only one to notice her sister stealing away with her new beau. Unlike Elsa however, he seemed to be a little more lost on the implications. His curiosity finally getting the better of him, he too went through the door, closing it gently behind him.

The queen snerked softly. She could be at ease now. Anna and Kristoff were not going to be able to get far, not with an inquisitive enchanted snowman hot on their trail. Still, she would have to have a word with Anna later.

Suddenly a scream tore out from the other side of the grand hall. Elsa whipped her head around in the direction it had come from, where more yells and shrieks were joining the first. The guests - her subjects, her people - were fleeing in terror, though from what, she could not see. Not wasting a moment, she ran off directly for it - whatever _it _was.

The flow of the crowd was going against her, and she had to struggle and push to make her way through. The tide of people seemed to be endless, but abruptly and without warning, she broke through into open space and she had to catch herself in order not to fall from the sudden lack of resistance. Her eyes flicked around, looking for the cause of the disturbance. It did not take long to spot and when she did, her eyes widened.

Shadows. Little silhouettes black as a moonless night that had separated from the ground and taken form as nightmarish creatures with eyes that glowed a noxious yellow as they stared hungrily after their fleeing prey.

Heartless.

Hundreds of them, if not _thousands_. A veritable swarm invading her castle and attacking her people. She had been easily dealing with the cleanup of what few stragglers still cropped up ever since Hans' defeat, but this was different. This was too many. Far, _far_ too many.

Where was that boy with the key now? Where was Sora?

One of the little fiends directly in front of her pinned her with its eerie gaze. It had antennae that twitched as it considered her… sized her up… and then abruptly launched itself at her. It would seem the thing thought her an easy target.

It had thought wrong.

Narrowing her eyes, she thrust both her hands forward. From her fingertips launched a colossal ice lance that speared the thing, making it explode into inky black mist before vanishing.

She couldn't wait around for Sora to show up and save the day. Her people needed help _now_.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a pack of them skittering straight for her, preparing to ambush. She swept her arms in their direction and a blast of frigid wind twined with frost burst forth from her palms. The gust hit the monsters hard and sent them crashing into a wall. She then dropped her arms to her sides before raising them slowly above her head. A massive bulwark of ice raised from the floor before her with the gesture, stretching up towards the ceiling. With a flick of her wrist, she sent it rushing forward to crush the Heartless between it and the wall, spraying black mist in every direction.

The front doors to the castle suddenly burst open and in charged Marshmallow with an ear splitting roar that shook the whole room. Elsa blinked in surprise at his appearance, but slowly smiled as she felt relief flood her chest. The courageous brute must have sensed from her that something was amiss, making him come running to her aid. Mindful of the innocent bystanders running past his feet as they made their way towards what was hopefully the safety of outside, Marshmallow barrelled forward, ice spikes raised like hackles as his frozen claws started shredding through the Heartless in droves.

With a smirk, Elsa turned her attention to another wave of little shadows, flinging one hand forward, shooting off a blue beam that struck the front runner and encased it in solid ice. Another wave of her hand, another beam, another one of those things now nothing more than harmless frozen statue. And so she continued.

It felt like the two of them were laying the enemy army to utter waste and ruin. And yet... the Heartless kept coming. Their numbers seemed to be without end. From best Elsa could tell, the guests had all managed to flee to safety by now, for she saw no bodies, no one lying about injured in need of help. That was good. She wasn't sure how long she and Marshmallow could keep this up, but it helped knowing that everyone had made it out.

...everyone…

Elsa gasped, eyes widening as she went stock still, a name flashing through her brain.

_Anna!_

Had she managed to make it out too? Blast it, she didn't know! She hadn't seen her sister since she had snuck off with Kristoff before the assault had started. Surely, she had escaped… right? She must have!

Or… she could still be in the castle somewhere and in trouble. Cornered, trapped by a horde of these dreadful things. She could be hurt. Scared. Alone. In need of-

Darkness suddenly filled Elsa's vision, making her squeak and jump back. A second too late she realized it was a Heartless in mid-pounce coming straight for her. She mentally cursed at allowing herself to get distracted, hastily bring up her hands. But it proved unnecessary as Marshmallow suddenly appeared behind it, looming menacingly over the thing before smashing a ginormous hand down and squashing the Heartless like some sinister bug beneath his palm He then moved to stand defensively at her side, casting a wayward glance her way, browed twisted with a hint of worry.

"I… my sister," she breathed, eyes sweeping the ballroom, looking for any sign of Anna, but only seeing a sea of black dotted by those awful glowing eyes. "I don't know if she's safe.'

A low rumble from deep within Marshmallow's chest was his only reply as he swatted a few more Heartless away, keeping them at bay.

She hesitated for a second. On the one hand, they were far from finished up here in the ballroom. They'd hardly made a dent in the shadows' numbers and the hall was still practically overflowing with their foes. On the other hand however, she wasn't so sure any sort of "finishing up" could really truly be done here. It felt like for every one of the little monsters they killed, three more sprouted out from only the gods knew where. It felt wrong abandoning Marshmallow here, but…

Anna. Elsa needed to know she was out of harm's way. Placing a soft hand on Marshmallow's side, she said, "Stay here please and do your best deal with these monsters. There may still be others are trapped in the palace, trying to find their way out, and you'll need to keep this area clear for them to make their escape easier. I'm going to search for Anna."

The abominable snowman frowned, clearly not pleased at the idea of Elsa rushing off alone into the middle of all this turmoil. But it gave a nod before turning a glare on the next horde of Heartless stampeding towards them. With a bellow, Marshmallow lunged to meet them head on.

Elsa bowed her head in silent thanks before she took off running in the opposite direction. A force of the shadow beasts stood in her path, but she waved her hand and catapulted them out of the way with a surge of wintry wind. Careening through the door she had seen Anna slip through earlier, she charged ahead as fast as her feet could carry her.

It was alarming, but not wholly surprising to discover the rest of the castle overrun with this army of darkness. Every corridor she sprinted through, her royal guard could be found battling the things. Sometimes she found her knights winning, sometimes… not so much. In the case of the latter, Elsa would shoot a chilly wave of magic in their direction as she passed to help turn the tide of the fight, but could do little more as she pressed on, desperately searching for her sister.

Perhaps this was silly, practically turning the palace upside down while trying to locate Anna. Elsa didn't even know if she was still in here. It was quite possible she had managed to get out, and this was just a huge waste of time. But Elsa just couldn't shake this terrible feeling that her sister was still in here somewhere and that she was in danger.

Just when it felt she had searched the whole damn place from top to bottom, she spotted it. That familiar glimpse of rich auburn, all but shining like a beacon down at the opposite end of the hall. It was all the incentive she needed to spur her tired legs onward into one final sprint.

There her little sister was, surrounded by those horrid monstrosities. Kristoff was nowhere to be seen, but Olaf however could be spotted cowering closely behind her leg. She was managing to keep the Heartless away with a sword she had gotten from somewhere, most likely pried from one of the ornamental suits of armor that decorated the palace. She swung it wildly at any of those beasts that got too close, but the rest of the shadowy group was closing in around her more rapidly by the second.

"Anna!" she cried out, skidding to a stop and panting from exhaustion.

Her head jerked up at the sound of her name. "Elsa?" She looked around and spotted her right away. "Elsa! Why are these things back?! I thought they were all mostly dead!"

She shook her head. "I don't know!" Even as she spoke, she was thrusting an arm forward, a blast of cold leaping from her hand and striking the nearest enemy, making it explode in a puff of dark smoke. Repeating the action, she started carving a path to her sister. "Are you okay? Where's Kristoff?"

She jabbed at one of the fiends with her blade, forcing it back several paces. "I'm fine! And I don't know, we got separated!"

"Hang on, I'm almost to you. I'll get us out of here, then we can go look for him." She grit her teeth and shot a hand out towards a Heartless that was leaping at her. It was struck with a hefty chunk of ice, sending it flying away. She just had to dispatch of a few more and she'd be at Anna's side.

"We have to hurry! I-"

That's as far as Anna got before a sinister dark portal appeared behind her. It was like the void had torn a hole in space itself, and it swirled with a miasma of blacks and purples. She gave a yelp as some unseen force abruptly sucked her into it along with Olaf and they both vanished from sight, the sword clattering to the ground where they once stood.

"_Anna!_" Elsa cried in horror as she destroyed another Heartless, the last one directly in her path, clearing the way. She tried to run towards the portal, ready to jump in after her sister without a second thought. But she didn't make it more than a step before another tear in reality appeared behind her and yanked her in as well, swallowing her whole.

Her surroundings went pitch black and she couldn't make out a single thing. Something had gripped around her tightly, uncomfortably restraining her arms against her sides while at the same time covering her mouth so she couldn't cry out. With a muffled snarl, her hands desperately struggled to grasp at something... _anything_. When they at last found purchase somewhere, she latched on with all her might and felt a chill rush down her arm, escaping her fingertips and erupting in a frostbolt.

There was a noise… something that sounded suspiciously like a hiss of pain from a _person_. Before she could give it much thought however, an abrupt shock was delivered to her system. Her whole body wracked in agony, her muscles seizing and her spine going rigid. Another burst of ice, this time involuntary, exploded from her entire being before she started to slip into unconsciousness.

The last thing she heard was a surprised wheeze. The last thing she knew was the sudden sensation of falling. Then she passed out altogether.

* * *

_**AN:** Dun dun dun! What is to become of our dear ice queen? Or of her sister and a certain lil enchanted snowman? You'll just have to wait an see! I can say that some of your questions will be answered next chapter! _

_Once again, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the amazing and beautiful **Daughter of Kyne** for being a stupendous beta for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Mad Oni**, **Spiderfan626**, **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world for me, seriously guys, I'm gonna cry! You're all so wonderful, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: In the original version of this chapter, Sora made an appearance! But when I was originally writing this, it was before Frozen was even announced for KH3. So I was going off the assumption it wasn't going to be included, and so wrote this as if the events of Frozen had already happened, then Sora - just out there in the galaxy doing the whole world exploring thing he does so well - popped down onto Arendelle for the first time, discovered the lil shindig going on at the palace and partycrashed and had his first meeting with Elsa! That didn't really work anymore after the events of KH3 xD And what with Sora being a busy lil dude and all and having many worlds to visit, I just decided to write him out - he's already zooming off towards the next planet! Which one, you may wonder? You'll actually find out in a few more chapters! He does have a few options at this point, depending on what order he decided to visit the worlds in xD_

_Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and catch ya'll on the flip side!_


	3. Chapter 3

Elsa winced as she came to, her eyes fluttering open.

...where…?

She was having trouble seeing properly - her sight hazy as if filtered through a fog, turning everything around her into just a blend of malformed shapes and dim colors. The fog was lifting, but gradually… much too gradually for her liking. A dull ache thrummed throughout her body, and though it seemed to fade as her consciousness grew in strength, the hard and cool surface she felt beneath her was hardly speeding the process along.

Was she… laying on the ground?

With a soft groan, she propped herself up on her elbows and looked around. Finally her vision was clearing. When it fully snapped into focus, she breathed in sharply, blinking a few times.

This was most certainly _not_ Arendelle.

She was surrounded by dull, lifeless grey stonework, both making up the floor beneath her and the walls around her. But it wasn't whole. Massive chunks of bricks were gone, entire walls missing, like some behemoth creature of legends had come along and smashed parts of the place into ruins. Strange metal tubes stuck out here and there. Before her was an open gate leading into a darkened archway. To one side of her, steps leading up to a wide, giant window overlooking a vast valley. To the other side, broken steps leading down to the gods knew where. Behind her, the floor abruptly ended in a sheer, jagged drop. Beyond it-

An extraordinary castle. A _twisted_ castle, all odd angles and disproportionate towers. It was as if it had been built using pieces from different jigsaw puzzles, forced together to create a nonsensical picture. More of those odd bronze tubes, some mangled and riddled with holes, all of it curling around the palace's walls like strange decorations. Clockwork gears ran all the way down one of its sides.

Overwhelmed with so many new and strange sights, it took a minute for it all to sink in. Then quite abruptly, panic seized Elsa's chest as her heart began to pound. Where was she? How had she gotten here? She struggled to remember and was rewarded with a throbbing headache. The only thing she could recall was... darkness, all consuming and cold. She sat up further, her breath shallow, her eyes wide. The air grew chilly around her and began to shimmer with snowflakes and specks of ice.

Something was coming back to her. Her fingers brushed her furrowed browed as she struggled for the memory. It was… eyes? Yes, bulbous, inhuman eyes glowing a sickly yellow, watching unblinkingly from the darkness… hundreds of them… waiting… hungry…

A noise came from somewhere she could not see, ripping her out of the phantom of a memory and back into the present. She gasped and scrambled back a bit, ice coating the ground beneath her, the snow beginning to fall more heavily around her. Lifting her chin, she called out shakily, "W-who's there?"

The only answer she got was more of the same sounds - scratches and skittering coming from the pitch black archway across from her. She swallowed hard, shakily getting to her feet and inching back a bit further, mindful of the cliff behind her. As she watched, she saw movement in the inky dark. Then, suddenly, lights. A pair of them, lined up directly beside one another, burning with an amber glow.

She frowned and squinted.

No… not lights… _eyes_.

Without warning, they surged forward towards her and at last she could see what they belonged to. A little beast wrought from shadows, launching through the air towards her, claws spread, preparing to strike her down.

Her eyes grew round, her hands already moving before she hardly even registered the thought. They lashed out in front of her and a chilly blue mist leapt forth from them, colliding hard with the little monster and sending it crashing into a wall. Frost quickly coated the thing and by the time it fell to the ground, it was a solid block of ice that promptly shattered.

Panting, she clasped her hands over her chest. She remembered now. She remembered _everything_. The ball, the legion of Heartless, her sister disappearing into a nefarious portal of darkness, her own struggle against whatever had tried to seize her, then… nothing.

Why… was she here now? _Where_ was here?

Was this their evil lair? Had they knocked her out and kidnapped her, bringing her here? If so, why would they just leave her like this, out in the open and unguarded? Was it some sort of trick? Were they trying to play mind games with her? To what end?

More importantly, where was Anna? Had they brought her here too? Was she being held captive? Were they… hurting her?

More noises were coming from the archway before her. More Heartless. Elsa's eyes flashed icily, her back straightening as she squared her shoulders. The wind began to pick up around her, whipping her braid about. What had been a gentle snowfall seconds ago was fast becoming a vicious flurry.

A pack of the shadow beasts came charging out towards her this time, but she didn't flinch. With a flick of her wrist, ice spikes erupted from the ground beneath the abominations, skewering them and exploding them into smoke.

Her lips set into a grim line now, she took a step towards the gateway. That was where the enemy kept coming from, so it was as good a place to start as any.

Whatever their scheme was, the Heartless were seriously about to regret bringing her here. Not only had they taken her, but they'd made the grave mistake of involving her sister as well. Elsa would tear this place apart brick by brick if she had to in order to find her. And if she discovered that even so much as one hair on Anna's head had been harmed, she would not hesitate to teach the culprit the very deadly, and very literal meaning of the term _chilled to the bone._

* * *

Axel quirked an eyebrow. "Wait, you want me to go where and do what for the who now?"

"Pay attention, my boy, pay attention!" Merlin gave him a couple quick jabs in the shoulder with his wand to punctuate his words. "I said you're to go to Radiant Garden and rendezvous with the Restoration Committee there! As for the what, why, you'll just have to wait until you're there to find out."

Axel exchanged a quick glance with Kairi. The wizard had interrupted them in the middle of a little sparring and their two keyblades were still poised defensively between them. They both relaxed, Axel dismissing his blade as he crossed his arms and frowned, turning his head to one side. "But what about my training? And what do they want with me? Aren't Sora or Riku available?"

Merlin huffed, his thick mustache twitching to and fro in agitation. "I would have thought you would be jumping at the chance to go out on a mission. I hear you're going a little stir crazy in here, after all."

"Oh you do, do you?" he asked, shooting some side eye to Kairi. She merely flashed him a tiny grin with a shrug.

"Besides, you are uniquely qualified for this undertaking. Now, shall we? Time is of the essence, my boy."

He scratched the back of his head before his gaze fell on Kairi once more. "Wanna come with?"

"Nah. Think I'd rather practice some more of my moves," she stabbed the air with her keyblade a couple times before resting it against one shoulder, thumbing her nose with a smirk. "Hoping to have a couple new secret techniques to surprise you with by the time you get back."

He chuckled, ruffling her hair, "Looking forward to it, Princess." As she swatted him away, he turned back to Merlin. "Alright, I'll bite. When do we-"

The wizard clapped one hand on Axel's shoulder and suddenly the forest around the two of them was gone, replaced by the rustic buildings of a sprawling city. Not just any city. One that was very familiar to Axel.

His hometown.

Radiant Garden.

...right smack dab on the rooftop of some random schmo's house.

"...leave?" he finished, blinking a couple times. The soles of his boots scraped against the shingles as he took a step back from the drop to the streets below. "Jeez, with all that phenomenal cosmic power in that itty-bitty wand of yours, woulda thought you'd be able to drop us off somewhere a lil less precarious. Sure it's safe for you to be up this high at your age? You're no spring chicken anymore."

That comment earned his noggin a swift whack from the wizard's wand. "Spring chicken or not, I can still give you a run for your munny!"

"I believe you, I believe you!" Axel threw his hands up in a placating gesture. "Now put that stick away before you really hurt someone."

Giving a curt, triumphant nod, Merlin's features then softened into a kindly smile. "Now then, I'll leave you to it, lad. I have to make a quick stop over in Twilight Town to get some affairs in order, but I'll be back shortly. I trust you'll have this all sorted out by the time I return. Just look at this as a test, one I have no doubt you'll pass with flying colors. Now toodle-loo!"

"But wait, what's the test? What am I supposed to-"

_Bamf!_

And just like that, Merlin had disappeared in a puff of blue smoke.

"...do?"

Okay, wizards royally sucked.

Crazy old coot.

Alright, so now what? He glanced around as a gentle wind picked up, tugging at the bottom flaps of his Organization coat. Then with a sigh, he took a seat at the edge of the roof, propping an arm up on one knee while letting his other foot dangle. What was the rush after all? Surely whatever it was he'd been brought here to do could wait while he took a brief second to enjoy the view.

After all, Radiant Garden truly was quite a wonder to behold, especially right now as dusk began to settle into twilight, bathing the sky in gorgeous blues and indigos. That eccentric yet whimsical castle as a backdrop, those waterfalls that seemed to pop out wherever they pleased, that vibrant canyon far below. And overlooking it all, a small metropolis working on rebuilding and restoring itself to its former glory. Its houses and shops were quaint, packed in tightly together on plateaus that ascended like a stairway meant for giants. And as it turned out, Axel's perch appeared to be at the highest tier atop one of the taller buildings, lending for a perfect opportunity to drink it all in.

He closed his eyes with a grin, inhaling slowly before releasing it.

_This_ was home.

Such a shame he'd only been back a handful of times since becoming a Somebody again. He unfortunately just didn't have the time to spare to be taking walks down memory lane. The few times he had managed to drop by, he'd made sure to pay a quick visit to the Restoration Committee. Man, had that been a trip. Those were people he'd known since they were all children together. He'd grown up with them, played with them, fought with them, laughed with them. Now... they were wary of him. Seems they weren't going to forget his deeds as a Nobody any time soon. Axel didn't mind though, he probably would have judged them more if they'd welcomed him with open arms. In any case, they were warming up to him. Some more slowly than others, but it was only a matter of time before his lovable self wormed his way back into even the most stubborn of hearts.

Speaking of the Restoration Committee… hadn't Merlin said something about them? Maybe that's where he was supposed to go. But then, why hadn't the mage taken Axel directly to their doorstep? Wouldn't that have made the most sense if there was some sort of trouble and no time to lose?

Axel raised a curled finger to his chin with a frown. Merlin had called this a test. Maybe that's all this literally was. No sort of real danger or anything, but more of a… a _game _to put his skills to the challenge. Okay, so thinking along that route then… where was the challenge? Looking around, this part of the city was practically a ghost town. Deader than Deadsville.

Huh. Whatever he was here to do, the wizard had said he was uniquely qualified for it. So what was in his wheelhouse that he was particularly good at? ...maybe this was a stealth mission. Like a good ol' fashion round of hide-n-seek. Perhaps he was supposed to be putting all those years as the Organization's assassin to use, sneaking about, staying out of sight, not getting caugh-

"There you are!"

He twitched at the shout from the solemn voice before looking down. Standing in the alley below him was Leon.

Axel flashed him a smirk. "Oops. Busted!"

He narrowed his eyes up at the redhead. "We need to talk."

Never in the history of human language had those words ever preceded anything good. Besides, if this _was _a game, they weren't going to catch him that easily! Hopping up into a crouch, he pressed his thumb to his nose, waggling his fingers. "You'll never take me alive!" He then spun around and took off running along the rooftops.

Or tried to anyway.

He'd managed to dash two whole steps before an arm shot out of nowhere and rammed into his neck, clotheslining him. With a surprised strangled yelp, he fell backwards, his spine hitting the shingles hard.

Well, _that _had been the shortest match of hide-n-seek in the history of ever.

Grimacing, he looked up to find Yuffie standing over him, arms crossed and shaking her head. "You'll never change, Red," she grinned down at him.

"Would you quit clowning around already?" Leon's stern voice echoed from below again.

As Yuffie stretched a hand out towards him, Axel muttered, "Jeez, the Scar's cranky today."

She snerked as he took her hand and helped him up. "When is he not?"

"How'd you guys even find me all the way up here?" he asked, scratching the back of his head.

"You kidding? Please, that mane of yours is as good as a flare gun. You can be spotted from orbit, Axel." Nudging him with her shoulder, she lead him back to the edge of the roof so they could make eye contact with Leon again, adding, "Now pipe down and listen up. This is important."

"Yes Ma'am," he saluted. Well at least now he didn't have to go find the Restoration Committee, not when they had been so kind as to find him instead. He glanced down at Leon. "So, what's got your panties all in a twist, bossman?"

There was a low growl from deep within the other man's throat as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "...I can't believe _you're_ the one they sent over."

"Shove it, Leon! He's the best keyblader for the job and you know it!" Yuffie called down to him.

Leon's lip curled in disdain. "Doesn't mean I have to be happy about it."

"Hey, I'm not exactly thrilled to be seeing that mug o' yours either, pal," Axel harrumphed. "I asked why they weren't sending Sora or Riku over instead, but Merlin was just his vague, cryptic self as usual."

"Riku's in the Realm of Darkness and currently out of our reach, while Sora's not answering his gummiphone. Honestly, I don't know why anyone bothered to give it to that kid if he doesn't ever pick the damn thing up," he grumbled. Then he crossed his arms and looked down at his shoes, clearly struggling with the next sentence on the tip of his tongue, whatever it was. At last, Leon said the last four words Axel ever expected to hear out of his mouth. "...we need your help."

His head reeled back at that, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. "You want _my_ help? Me? Wow," he turned to Yuffie, "you weren't kidding. This _is_ serious. Alright, color me curious. What do you need?"

Leon turned his back to him, pointing out into a lower section of the city. "Look out there. What do you see?"

He looked at the spot indicated, squinting. There was something down there obscuring the houses near the bailey from his sight. It was some floating, swirling mass of white. It seemed to be… clouds? "What the…? Oh man, is that a blizzard? How did I not see that until now?"

Leon kept his gaze focused on the weather anomaly. "It was small at first, but has been growing rapidly. It won't be long before it's overtaken that whole sector and spreads to others."

He shook his head. "What the hell, Mother Nature? That can't be natural."

"It's not," Yuffie nodded. "Temperatures are subzero inside, rapidly freezing everything over. It's locking up the Claymores and rendering them useless. Luckily, no one has been caught inside it and we're evacuating people that are too close. But at the rate it's expanding, it won't be long before the whole town will be a winter wonderland."

Giving a low whistle, Axel asked, "What's causing it?"

"Not entirely sure, but we suspect the Heartless."

"Think there's a big nasty right smack dab in the middle of it?"

"Most likely. The security system picked up a spike in darkness down near the bailey right before the storm appeared. But we can't investigate. No one can get close enough. It's too dangerous." Leon looked up at him once more. "That's where you come in."

Axel grinned. "Oh, I get it. You're thinking since fire and I are like this," he held up two crossed fingers, "that gives me a bit of an extra edge to get in there safely without having to worry about frostbite or dying to hypothermia or whatever."

He bowed his head. "More or less."

_Now _that whole "uniquely qualified" statement made sense!

Rubbing his chin, he gave a thoughtful hum. Then he smirked, "What's in it for me?"

"Axel," Leon snarled, accompanied with a smack to the back of the head courtesy of Yuffie.

"Ouch! Kidding, kidding! Jeez, some people can't take a joke," he winced, rubbing the sore spot. "Worry not, bossman! I got your back! I'll go in there, find that monster and put it in its place! You can count on me!" With that, he sprinted off, bounding from one roof to the next, taking him to the furthest reaches down in the city.

Leon had a sour look on his face as he watched him go, muttering, "This was a bad idea."

"Lighten up," Yuffie chirped as she hopped down to stand beside him. "He's just what the doctor ordered. You'll see"

He huffed out a snort, closing his eyes. "We're doomed."

Traversing the rooftops, it didn't take Axel long to get to the bottom tier of Radiant Garden. A few more seconds and he was at the edge of the snowstorm. His boots skidded to a stop just short of the stark line where summer ended and winter began. It was easy to see the blizzard expanding, even in the space of a few measly heartbeats. Curious, he stretched a tentative hand out into it. Immediately, he let loose a hiss and was snatching it back, flecks of frost already forming on his knuckles. He could feel the chill seeping straight through the leather of his gloves, goosebumps forming on the flesh beneath.

Jeez, was that cold!

And his gloves _weren't_ thin, so whatever was at the core of that storm? Was freaking _powerful_. Sure, keyblade masters shot off ice bolts all the time. Hell, even Axel could do that by now after his training over the past few weeks, though it wasn't by any means his strong suit. But he had yet to see a keyblade wielder summon up anything on this scale. He wasn't sure Merlin or even Yen Sid himself could pull off something of this magnitude. The only person he had ever seen come close was Vexen, and he seriously doubted he would find Even throwing a tantrum at the middle of all that white. It just _had_ to be a Heartless. A big sucker, too.

He zipped up his coat tight and surged heat through his veins, raising his body temperature so he'd be nice and toasty. Then pulling his hood up around his head and tugging on the drawstrings to trap in every last bit of warmth, he plunged into the flurry. Even with the precautions he took, the wall of cold that hit him was still a jolt to his system. Shaking off the chill and upping his internal thermostat a few more degrees, his feet took off running along the tops of the buildings once more.

He moved swiftly, stealth be damned. He needed to get to the root of this frozen madness pronto. Partly because it needed to end yesterday. Partly because he suspected that if he stopped moving long enough, even the likes of him would freeze over into solid ice. It grew colder still as he pressed on and he knew he was getting close. The chilly source was drawing him in like a magnet.

It made sense, in a way. Fire always wanted to warm the cold. It had been that way since the dawn of time. It was only natural.

When he arrived at his destination, he felt it more than saw it. By now, the snowflakes and mist pelting his face were so thick, it was difficult to make out much of anything. But _there!_ He could see a vague silhouette outlined in the haze on the streets below. He squinted at the figure. Huh. The monster was smaller than he expected it would be. He moved to get closer, leaping over a few more rooftops until he was right above it. He squatted down, squinting and starting to make out details.

Milky white skin that blended and practically vanished into the onslaught of snow. Eyes like waves crashing on an iceberg in a tempest. Platinum blonde hair woven into a braid that danced in the freezing gale. A translucent cape and powder blue dress that glimmered as they whipped about.

He blinked.

Wait. Hold up.

The big, bad monster… was a _chick?_

* * *

_**AN:** Now we're starting to get to the good stuff! Next chapter is gonna be so fun! Any bets on what's gonna go down? All I'll say is I'm excited to share it with you!_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the fantastic and talented **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being extraordinary betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **ScarletEmperor**, **Spiderfan626**, **SoraKairiRikuNamine**, and **Daughter of Kyne** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, I'm gonna weep big fat tears over here! You're all so amazing, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: In the original that I was working on before KH3 came out, Kairi and Axel were doing their training with Yen Sid at his tower. In that older version, no one sent Axel to Radiant Garden to deal with the freak blizzard, instead he was he was just there already cuz he liked to pop in on his hometown from time to time. Leon and Yuffie then found him and pointed out the blizzard to him, and it all just turned out to be a right place, right time sort of deal. But with KH3 showing that Axel was instead being trained by Merlin in a secret forest outside of space and time, figured in that situation Axel was now less likely to pop off to Radiant Garden whenever he wanted - I think he still could with his Corridors of Darkness __if he ever felt so inclined __, but he needed more of a reason to now than "just cuz he felt like it." Ultimately, I think I like it better this way!_

_Anyhoozle, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and keep it real!_


	4. Chapter 4

Winter raked its chilly fingers through the air, an icy breeze heralding Elsa's presence. The gust ran up and down her form, playing with her hair, tugging at her gown and cape. Bits of snow twirled in a frenzied dance around her, only to fall and blanket the ground in her wake as she strode forward. Ice formed on the cobblestone beneath her very feet with every step, crackling as it spread and spidered outward. She moved slowly, cautiously, hands raised before her, ready to unleash frozen fury at the slightest hint of a threat. A scowl marred her features, narrowed eyes flashing dangerously as they scanned her surroundings.

The archway had lead her into some sort of city. A foul den of iniquity, more like. She hadn't run across a single other person so far. Any people that may have been there would have most likely just been hostages, so they wouldn't have been wandering about freely anyway. No, all she had encountered were more Heartless. They were oddly resilient, even in the harsh, snowy tundra she was summoning around herself. At best, her blizzard only seemed to slow them down. At worst, there was a certain variety that seemed to actually thrive in the cold. Still, they were no match for her. Whatever little shadow fiend she came across, she destroyed without prejudice.

There had been no sign of Anna so far. Elsa wasn't entirely sure if what she was doing was helping. As she moved deeper into this lair, was she bringing herself closer to her sister? Or was she just making a mess?

She pressed on, quieting any doubts in her mind with a shake of her head. She _had _to do this. For... she did not know what else she could do. At the very least, it had to be drawing _someone's_ attention, someone in charge, someone she could negotiate with. Certainly, none of the little dark beasts she had faced so far would be of any use to her. The Heartless were nothing more than mindless drones, incapable of any thought or action beyond swarming and attacking. But they surely had to have a leader somewhere, one that wouldn't be too pleased with her going about, ripping all of its troops to shreds. And whenever it decided to rear its ugly head-

A giant blur of black suddenly leapt down from somewhere high above, landing in her path. Surprised, she stumbled backwards, but quickly caught herself. Her hands flew up in front of her once more, ready to lash out with her magic the _second_ this new threat did something she didn't like as she studied it warily.

Now that it was still, she could see that it was a person… or at least, person-shaped. It had crouched low to absorb the impact from its landing, but now it slowly straightened up to stand. And it, whatever it truly was, was freakishly tall. She had thought Kristoff too large for his own good, but this thing seemed to have Anna's suitor beat by nearly a head. She could not make out any features, for it was clad from head to toe in malevolent black, comprised mainly of a long cloak with a hood currently hiding its face - that is, if it even had one.

So… this had to be the ringleader. The one controlling the Heartless, the mastermind behind the attack on Arendelle. That, or at least a lieutenant of some sort.

The ground was hissing beneath the entity, and some sort of fog seemed to be rising from its feet. Elsa's brow furrowed momentarily, then her eyes widened when realization struck. That wasn't fog, it was _steam_. It was melting her ice, apparently forming a warm dry patch around the newcomer.

How…?

How was it able to combat her magic?

Before she could ponder this odd turn of events further, the figure was holding up its gloved hands. "Whoa whoa!" a distinctly male voice came from within the confines of the hood. "Hey lady, calm down and put the frost away. You're gonna freeze the world!"

She frowned, narrowing her eyes into slits. The snow grew thicker and swirled more quickly around her.

It was time to get some answers. And he was going to be the one to give them to her.

"Freezing the world is _exactly_ what I'll do unless you release my sister and take me to her this instant!" she demanded coldly through gritted teeth.

The figure tipped its head to one side. "Sister? Sorry, toots, but I don't know anything about your sister."

Her gaze hardened. Right. Like she was going to trust the figure in the sinister black coat. Because that sounded like a good idea. "You can't deceive me with your lies, you… you villain! I know you took her, I saw your vile shadow minions kidnap her through a portal of darkness!"

"Minions? Lady, you got it all backwards and this is all just some big misunderstanding. If you'll just listen-"

"Enough of your deceit! I said take me to her!" She cut him off with a snarl, throwing a hand forward, aiming at the ground in front of the stranger's feet. Barbs of ice sprung up from the spot and expanded out in a blur, the sharp tip of one stopping just short of his chest. "Right. _Now_."

The stranger stiffened, the hood shifting down to observe the chilly threat pointed at his breast. "...and here I was gonna play nice for once," he growled, the ice needle hissing as he somehow melted it to slush. She had thought him tall already, but apparently there had previously been a bit of a slouch to his stance, for now he straightened to his full height. If the intended effect had been to intimidate, it was successful, but Elsa did not let it show.

Embers started snapping at the air around him, waves of heat playing with the folds of his cloak. "The next time you aim for the heart is the second you end up missing yours."

Her eyelashes twitched, an all but imperceptible wince. Using her powers to inflict any sort of harm on another person was not an option she considered lightly. She still lived in a constant fear that she might hurt someone and it was a struggle to keep her abilities in check to make sure that didn't happen. She had nearly lost Anna by lodging a bit of ice magic into her heart merely the day before. So this stranger's comment about aiming for the heart struck a little too close to home.

But no, she couldn't afford to second guess herself. Not now, not when her sister's life might be on the line, not when Anna needed her most. That was probably exactly what this scoundrel was trying to do. To plant just enough doubt to make her lower her defense so he could then strike and catch her off guard. He probably wasn't even human under that hood. He probably didn't even have a heart. Just another shadow fiend like the rest of the Heartless at his command, merely formed into a misleadingly humanoid guise in an attempt to fool her.

"Are you going to take me to my sister or not?" she asked, her voice even and low.

He shrugged, a deceptively lazy gesture given that every inch of his lanky frame was tense, ready to spring like a trap. "I don't know where this sister of yours is, lady, but if you got a problem, we can sure as hell take care of it. I'm not one to back down from a fight. Final warning."

She scowled. Fine. If he wasn't going to volunteer any information, she was just going to have to make him tell her. For once, her powers seemed to be in agreement with her and willing to obey her command. Problem was, where most people unfamiliar with her abilities would have been shocked and fled in terror at any display of her ice magic, this guy hadn't even flinched. If anything, it had only seemed to provoke him. He was either very brave, or very stupid. Possibly both. What bothered her more however was the way he kept mysteriously melting her ice. She did not know what trickery this was, but she refused to be daunted by the likes of him.

"You're going to regret those words," she spat vehemently, her eyes defiant. She swept her hands out wide to either side. Suddenly, the blurred flecks of snow whirling around her came to an abrupt stop, suspended in midair, almost as if time itself had come to a standstill. They glimmered in the light as she froze them over into hard, jagged bits of ice. Elsa flung both her arms forward and with the motion, hundreds of tiny glacial shards launched themselves at her foe.

He didn't dodge. He didn't budge. Not one inch. He didn't even twitch. He just stood there and let the wave of piercing projectiles hit and impale him. Or… so it seemed at first. The instant any ice made contact with his cloak however, it sizzled and evaporated immediately. Each and every shard, just gone in a bit of steam that puffed off his body. She watched, eyes round, inhaling sharply through her nose.

How? How did he keep doing that?!

As the last frozen splinter hissed out of existence, he bowed his head, face still obscured. "Wrong move," was all he said. Then he disappeared in a swirling portal of darkness.

_Just_ like the one that had spirited away Anna.

She was now more sure than ever he was tied to the assault on her kingdom and the abduction of her sister. Elsa was also convinced that while he was out of sight, he was most certainly not gone. He had to still be here somewhere, hidden in the mist and hail of her own blizzard, preparing to make his move. She could feel it in her bones, in the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. She shifted and pivoted in place, watching, waiting for the attack.

She heard it before she saw it. A high-pitched hum from her left, distant at first but fast approaching. Even as she turned her head towards it, the source of the noise burst out of the fog, a scant few feet away from her. All she could make out was a whirling blur of flashing silver and blinding crimson. With only a split second to react, she cast her hands up and conjured an ice wall before her that slanted up at an angle over her head. The thing hit the makeshift barrier hard, cracking the ice before it bounced off and flew harmlessly past her.

Her eyes followed it until a gloved hand caught it, bringing its spinning to a stop. The weapon was some sort of spiked wheel, and the hand belonged to the cloaked figure. In his other hand was a second weapon that was the twin of the first. Not hesitating for even a heartbeat, he dashed towards her, closing the distance in the blink of an eye. And in his wake, melting the snow, a trail of crackling _fire_ was left.

With a gasp, she barely had time to sidestep his lunge. The hood, inches from her own face, turned to regard her as he almost passed her completely by. But then he slid to a stop, spinning around, his arm suddenly wreathed in flames that rushed down and wrapped around his strange weapon before he sliced it out at her.

In a panic, her hands snapped up once again, raising a pillar of ice between him and her, blocking his attack. His smoldering weapon struck it and shattered it with a loud _bang!_ Already, he was swinging the other metal wheel at her, it too now ablaze. She staggered back a step, hastily raising another pillar. Again, he smashed it, and again he advanced, alternating slashes with his weapons. With little time to think, her feet kept retreating as she threw up column after column.

But she knew she couldn't keep this up. She could already feel the scorching heat radiating off those weapons of his, drawing closer and closer with every slash, mere seconds away from searing her skin. She needed a moment to gather herself and get off the defensive. Gritting her teeth, she flung both arms up high over her head. With the gesture, a tall and expansive glacial wall rose between her and her opponent, several feet thick. One of the sharp wheels struck again and she could hear the harsh _clink_ as its spikes sunk into the barricade, could see the burning glow of red hot metal dying through the fogged ice.

Then it was gone and all that could be heard was the rushing wind of her snowstorm and the pounding of her heart. She clutched her hands to her chest, releasing a breath she had not realized she had been holding.

Fire.

That… _thing_ had _fire_ at its command.

No wonder it had been able to counter her magic so easily.

But how did it have such abilities? Besides herself with her ice powers, the only other creatures she had ever encountered that were capable of any sort of sorcery were the trolls.

No… wait, that wasn't quite true… there had also been Sora. He'd been able to summon fire as well, along with ice, lightning, and a whole other host of elements. Elsa had meant to ask him about it, what with him being the first human she'd ever met like her who could wield magic. But there'd been no time, he'd departed so quickly once the danger to Arendelle had subsided. And even then, Sora was not cursed like she was. His powers were containable… one might even say manageable, as he'd only cast minor firebolts. Nothing nearly on the same scale as what she currently stood off against. The creature she faced now was pure flames incarnate, able to control fire for whatever nefarious purposes it wanted. This couldn't be possible! Or rather… it shouldn't have been...

Shaking her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. Elsa couldn't worry about the why or the how right now. She had only bought herself a minute of reprieve at best. That thing was still around, preparing another attack. She needed to be ready for it. She needed to end this.

"Had enough?" a mocking voice, _his_ voice, came from behind her. She whipped around to face him, seeing him standing a few yards away, casually swinging his weapons at his sides.

Without a word, she threw one hand up, launching off a mammoth icicle that rocketed towards him. He used one of those strange pointed wheels of his to bat it away, sending it crashing into a nearby building.

He gave a soft snort. "Figured." Then he was charging at her once again, his coat billowing out around him.

She was prepared this time. Pointing down at his feet, a hazy blue beam leapt from her fingertips and slammed into the ground. Ice shimmered at the spot and cascaded outward, forming a slippery surface in his path. He was quick to react however, vaulting himself over it. The soles of his boots hit the ground on the other side of the glassy patch and he landed in a crouch, punching one of his weapons into the floor. A ring of fire erupted from beneath him, exploding outward and directly towards her.

Struggling to remain calm and in control, Elsa lifted her hands once more and beneath her a frozen monolith several yards in radius sprouted from the ground, lifting her up and out of reach of the flames. The cloaked figure sprang up, launching himself onto the platform with her. Then he was barreling straight for her once more.

Her fingers clawed upward and clenched tightly into fists. The chilly surface beneath the villain's shoes suddenly stretched out and clamped shut around his feet, ensnaring him in place. He almost tripped, but managed to keep his balance. She couldn't see it, but she could practically feel his calculating eyes latching onto her from within the confines of his hood, before he again vanished into a portal wrought from shadows.

Not a second later, she heard the slicing of air behind her. She spun on her heel, seeing him mid-pounce, blazing weapon overhead and about to be brought down upon her. Thrusting her arms forward, a frigid snow-laced gust rushed forth from her and crashed into him. It was enough to throw him off course and allow her a chance to dodge out of the way.

He landed in a roll and when he came back up, she saw his hood had been knocked back. She stiffened, her eyes wide and her eyebrows shooting up her forehead.

Long, spiky, vibrant red hair. Fierce, bright green eyes. Sharp, angular features set with an arrogant smirk.

He was… human?

He… was like her… in a way… another person cursed with the wretched power to destroy... only with fire instead of ice…

...no. This couldn't be. This was a mirage, another trick! She alone was burdened with such a curse, no one else! He _wasn't _a person, just another Heartless trying to fool her with illusions! A more powerful one to be sure, and more clever by far, but nothing more.

With a swift gesture, he blasted off a massive fireball that hissed through the hale and snowflakes as it flew directly towards her. An icebolt of her own catapulted from her fingers to deflect it. The hot and cold energy impacted between them, detonating into an angry cloud of steam that rippled out in waves of force. Elsa shielded herself with an arm, bracing herself as her skirt whipped around her calves. Beyond the vapor, she saw him lighting up one of those wheels with fire once more before hurling it at her.

Flicking her hand out, she shot off an icy beam. It collided with the whirling weapon and immediately coated it over in frost, extinguishing the flames into wisps of smoke as the frost continued to thicken. Weighted down more and more by the second, gravity pulled it to the floor and it skidded to a stop a few inches short of her toes. Already she was flinging off another stream of chilly magic, this time directed at the other wheel still within his grasp.

He frowned as her attack hit its mark and frost encased his second weapon as well. It expanded, crawling out to his fingers, knuckles, palm, wrist. But that's as far as it got before a scarlet glow could be seen radiating from within the rime. The ice sizzled and melted away. With a smug grin, he held the weapon up and shot her a wink.

She responded with a glare. Damn it, this was getting her nowhere. How was she supposed to make him release her sister if he was so easily able to deflect everything she threw at him? If only-

...wait...

...oh, yes. She had _just_ the thing.

Now a wicked smirk curved Elsa's lips. That seemed to give her enemy pause. He called, "Yo, Snowflake. What's got you so giddy all of a sudden?"

"Allow me to acquaint you with a very dear friend of mine," she yelled back to be heard over the rush of the blizzard before waving her hands towards the snow piling between them. Clumps of white floated up, swirling with glimmering tendrils of magic and beginning to form a shape. A very _large_ shape. One might even say gigantic. It sculpted into a torso, sprouting snow-packed limbs, with sturdy feet and bulky hands ending in sharp, gleaming ice claws. A lump extruded from the top, molding into a head. Deep gouges in the snow created a pair of eyes and a mouth. As the whole thing was lowered to the ground where it could stand on its own, life seemed to breathe into it. By now, it was big enough to rival some of the surrounding buildings.

Whatever her foe had been expecting, it very clearly had not been this, for he seemed stunned as he stared up at this new creature. The snowy behemoth looked down at him, its eye sockets scrunching angrily, its lips curling into a sneer. Elsa called out from behind it, "His name is Marshmallow."

With that, arctic spikes erupted out of the titan's head and down its back as it unleashed an earth-quaking roar that pushed the redhead back a few inches. He tossed up his hands in an attempt to pacify. "Woah there, big guy. Can we talk?"

In answer, the abominable snowman swept out one tremendous arm, swatting him like a gnat and catapulting him into the bricked wall of the nearest building. He let out a pained grunt as he crashed and slid to the ground.

"Take that as a no," he coughed and chuckled, struggling to pull himself back onto his feet. Then he snerked, locking eyes with Marshmallow. "Works for me. I did always love roasting s'mores."

His hand snapped up and from his palm, a roaring gout of flames blasted out. It smashed into the chest of the frozen colossus, punching clean through and out its back. It staggered, bellowing out. When the fire died down, a huge gaping hole had been left right in the middle of Marshmallow.

The creature scowled down at the hollow, emitting a low growl. The snow at the cavity's edges began to sparkle before expanding, closing up the wound entirely.

"Well now, that just ain't fair, Frosty," the man huffed.

Fair or not, Marshmallow didn't seem to care as it brought its fist down hard towards him. The redhead just barely jumped back in time, the giant's knuckles slamming into the spot he had just vacated, leaving a jagged crater in the cobblestones.

With one of his weapons still in hand, he stretched the other hand out to one side. The wheel still laying frozen at Elsa's feet burst out into flames before vanishing, leaving nothing but ash in the soggy snow. It reappeared in his awaiting grasp as he took off running towards Marshmallow. Both his weapons began to spin against his palms, fire engulfing them once more as they became burning discs with white hot cores.

The leviathan extended its chilly claws and squatted low to the ground, taking another swipe at him. He ducked out of the way and continued full speed ahead. Charging between Marshmallow's legs, his weapons were blazing blurs as he sliced chunks out of its ankles and shanks. Cuts already healing, the snowman snarled and raised one foot, trying to stomp down on the pest. But he was too fast, darting out from under it. Then he leapt, ripping holes out of the creature's spine and shoulders as he ran up its back, using the ice spikes as footholds as he leapt from one to the next.

Elsa observed silently from out of harm's way, waiting for the perfect opportunity to show herself. Marshmallow was strong to be sure and had survived the fiery onslaught so far, but she doubted he would continue to hold out for long. But he was doing what was needed: wearing out her enemy and keeping him distracted. Soon the villain would slip up and give her a chance to knock him out. Then she could restrain him and have him start answering her questions and demands.

And how, one might wonder, was she going to restrain him? Good question, given that every attempt so far had resulted in him just melting the ice that bound him or teleporting away. So that particular part of the plan was still being figured out. But once he was unconscious and she was freed from the heat of battle, once she had a real moment to herself to think, she was sure she'd be able to work out the rest. She just-

Her thoughts came to a screeching halt as she squinted at the scene before her. There was Marshmallow, alone, head turning to and fro, searching.

Wait, where was-

"Nighty nighty, Snowflake," that now all too familiar voice said quietly behind her.

Before she could so much as react, there was a sudden sharp pain in the back of her neck. Numbness rippled out from that spot and consumed her entire body, her knees giving out beneath her as black ate away at her vision. The last thing she saw was the snow blanketed ground fast approaching before everything went dark.

* * *

Yuffie and Leon stood at the outskirts of the blizzard. Though, to be fair, it really couldn't be called that anymore. The snow still thickly carpeted that section of the city, but the storm had let up. Now only a few delicate snowflakes would gently waft to the ground from time to time. The border of the cold white expanse had stopped spreading. Some of the snow at the edge was even beginning to melt, leaving a damp line along the cobblestones.

"Looks like Axel was successful," Yuffie chirped, kneeling down and using a finger to trace crude doodles in the snow.

"Looks like," Leon echoed flatly, not sounding convinced.

"Think it's safe to go inside yet?"

He didn't respond right away, frowning out at the frozen wasteland. "...give it another minute."

She shrugged, adding more details to her sketch. But then something caught the corner of her eye and she glanced up. Staring hard into the fog, it took a few more seconds, then she spotted it again and she shot up. "Someone's coming!"

Leon said nothing, just moved a hand to rest on the hilt of his gunblade.

A silhouette was faintly outlined in the mist, growing more distinct as it walked closer. Finally the cloudy veil parted and Axel emerged. But it wasn't just him. In his arms, he carried an unconscious woman, hair and skin both pale, clad in a blue gown with a soft sheen.

"Axel!" Yuffie called, running towards him, leaving deep footprints in the snow. Leon loosened his grip and followed behind more slowly. As she drew near, she continued, "You did it! What happened? Who's that? Did you rescue her from the monster?"

He shook his head, looking down at his charge.

"She… _is_ the monster."

* * *

_**AN:** This chapter was so fun to write! Hopefully it was just as much fun to read! I've always thought it would be pretty epic if you got to play Axel in a KH game in a boss battle against Elsa - could be some interesting game mechanics brought in for that xD Maybe we'll get it in a DLC! I'm not holding my breath, but a girl can dream, can't she? Until then, I must live vicariously through my fanfiction!_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the awesome and magnificent **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being superb betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Spiderfan626**, **ScarletEmperor**, **Daughter** **of** **Kyne**, and **Rina** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, my tears, they flow! You're all so sweet, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: This chapter actually didn't require that many revisions from its original. Just had to add some thoughts on Sora mostly xD Back in the old chapter 2 when she met Sora (before revisions and I edited him out), all she saw him do was use some bizarro key weapon, no magic. So it was a lot weirder for her encountering Axel, the first real magic wielder besides her. But had to adjust that now that in KH3 she saw Sora use PLENTY of magic, haha. Even then, meeting Axel is a total trip for her, as you can see!_

_At any rate, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love and peace out!_


	5. Chapter 5

Sure, he could have just set the overgrown snowman on fire.

Lit him up like a giant bonfire and let him melt down into nothing but a gooey puddle.

But then, where would have been the fun in that?

And he had sure as hell been having fun, playing his little game of cat and mouse. Axel had almost grown fond of the big lug in just the few short minutes their fight had spanned. It would have been a shame to make a slushie out of him. Besides, generating that amount of heat would have been a huge waste of energy. Nothing short of a gargantuan column of fire would have engulfed the entire creature and that kind of stunt would have drained a whole lot out of him, which would have defeated the purpose. That purpose being, as previously stated, fun.

Not gonna lie, he had been enjoying his spar with Little Miss Freeze as well. Back in the Organization, he had tried to goad Vexen on many occasions into an epic clash of fire versus ice. But the so called Chilly Academic had always refused, stating it to be a waste of his valuable time that was better spent on his experiments or some other rot.

Vexen had always been such a wet blanket.

But now he had finally gotten what he wanted. True, it hadn't been quite as legendary as he had hoped for. His opponent had been unskilled and untrained in her command over her own element. And for an assassin such as himself doing what he did best, it had been no contest. Sure, she had gotten a couple lucky shots in here or there, but for the most part, he had just been toying with her.

Still, it had been undeniably cool.

But alas, all good things had to come to an end.

Radiant Garden hadn't been getting any warmer as the fight had worn on. He had needed to draw it to its inevitable finale. And seeing as Snowflake was the obvious source, taking her out was his best bet. So the second he had been able to give the overgrown yeti the slip, he had teleported in behind her, delivered a swift chop to the back of the neck and had her sleeping like a baby.

The blizzard had died down almost instantly. It hadn't vanished completely, but it just needed time. Nature would take its course and melt it all away, returning everything to normal.

However, something else had failed to vanish: friggin' Frosty the Anger Issues Snowman. Just Axel's luck. As soon as it turned and spotted him kneeling over the limp form of its unconscious mistress, it had been thrown into a terrifying fury as it unleashed another thunderous roar and charged at him. Scooping the woman up and cradling her in his arms, Axel had skipped back several steps, raising a wall of fire between himself and the beast. That had halted it in its tracks. The flames had lapped at the air, towering nearly as high as the snow giant itself. It'd glared at the crackling roadblock before bellowing again, as if its vocal rage alone could put out the fire. Fun fact: it couldn't.

"Settle down, Frosty," Axel had called up to it from the other side. The creature had stilled, narrowing its empty eye holes down at him. "If you stay put, no harm will come to her. Just sit tight and I'll be back before ya know it."

It'd made no move to indicate acknowledgment of his words, just continued to stare coldly at him.

Huh. Good enough, he'd supposed.

With that, he had turned and left, heading towards the edge of the blizzard where he had not been surprised to find Leon and Yuffie waiting for him. He had proceeded to give them the cliff notes version of everything that had gone down before they decided to bring her back to Merlin's house. There they had been met by the rest of the Restoration Committee.

"Oh!" Aerith had breathed in surprised when she saw Axel's cargo. Directing him to place her down on the bed, she'd then frowned. "I hope you didn't hurt her too badly."

Waving a dismissive hand, he'd responded, "Hardly touched her. She's just taking a snooze. She'll be fine."

That had been part of the reason he had only used his chakrams on her and not his keyblade. Well… that, and he still couldn't rely on the damn thing to show up half the time. But really, even if he had been sure he could summon it without issue, he wouldn't have. Using a keyblade on a living person who didn't know what they were getting into was a surefire way to give them a really bad day. One ill timed jab and it could be buh-bye, heart.

His chakrams, on the other hand, he could depend on like a couple of old friends. Worst came to worst, there was a non 0% chance of some bloody cuts or singed flesh, and even then only if he had really wanted to hurt her. But that had never really been his goal, he had just wanted to test her out, see what she could do and find out what they were really up against. Have a bit of sport while he was at it too, before he had finally decided that it was time for lights out.

He now stood off in one corner, arms crossed as he leaned back against a wall. The committee was on the opposite side of the room, huddled around the bed that Snowflake was passed out on. Aerith sat on the mattress beside her, checking for any serious injuries. Plus, when the woman inevitably woke up, wouldn't hurt having it be to a friendly face. And you'd be hard pressed to find a friendlier face than Aerith's. Merlin had returned by now from wherever it was he'd poofed off to earlier. He and the rest of the crew - Leon, Yuffie, and Cid - were discussing in low voices what their best course of action from here would be.

Axel was staying out of it. He sure as hell didn't know what the next step was, so he didn't envy the choice they had to make in the slightest.

Clearly, the chick was from another world, one that the Heartless had invaded. But anything beyond that was a mystery. From what little he had been able to glean from her words earlier, the Heartless had vamoosed with her sister. And given his all black attire when he had crossed paths with said chick, hadn't he just perfectly looked the part of kidnapper. He supposed looking at it that way, he didn't really blame her for her hostile attitude towards him. But the question remained… what was the committee going to do with her? How much were they going to tell her? It wasn't like maintaining the world order was a thing to worry about here, given she was no longer even on hers.

Maybe it was none of his business. His job was done and really at this point, he didn't need to stick around. But he was curious to see what would happen next. Merlin hadn't hauled his happy ass back off to the magic training pocket dimension yet, so Axel figured that was as good enough an invitation as he was ever gonna get to stay and watch how everything played out.

"Quiet everyone," Aerith said suddenly, causing a hush to fall over the room. "She's waking up."

The woman was stirring, her face scrunching slightly before her eyes slowly fluttered open. "Where…?" she groaned softly, taking in the unfamiliar walls around her.

"Mornin', sleeping beauty!" Cid grinned, leaning over Aerith's shoulder.

The woman yelped, her eyes wide as she shot up, threw her hands out in front of her and-

Nothing happened.

Blinking a couple times, she looked down at her hands. She flicked them a few times then thrust them out before her a second time. Again, nada.

Clearing his throat, Merlin spoke up, "Miss, if you're trying to freeze us into solid ice, that won't be happening." He stroked his long beard and added, "I've nullified your powers."

She stared up at the old wizard, her features twisting in confusion. "...nullified?"

He smiled kindly. "Just as a precaution, mind you. So we could talk."

"Hmph. Trying to ice me," Cid grumbled, thumbing his nose and tromping off to take a seat in front of the computer. "Ain't that just a fine how do ya do?"

Axel snorted. "Can you really blame her? Waking up to an ugly mug like yours."

Apparently their guest hadn't realized he was in the room. The moment Axel spoke up and drew her attention to him, she gasped and scrambled back, pressing herself against a wall and hugging her knees to her chest. "I-I don't know what you blackguards want with me, but stay back! Don't come any closer!"

Aerith hushed her gently, sympathetically reaching a hand out towards her. "It's okay. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah! We're the good guys!" Yuffie chimed in.

"Lies," she shook her head. Her hands were shaking as they gripped at the fabric of her dress, though she was doing her best to hide it. Axel understood. If he was the one waking up surrounded by strangers and cut off from his powers, he'd be feeling pretty vulnerable too. She pointed a finger at him, "You're with him. You're with the Heartless. Those shadow fiends that attacked my kingdom and kidnapped my sister. What do you want with her? What do you want with me?"

"Wait, you said Heartless. How do you know that word?" Leon asked quietly. "...have you made any new acquaintances lately? Particularly a boy with brown hair, blue eyes, and an irritatingly perky smile?"

The woman looked at him sharply. "You know Sora?"

Axel had to stifle a laugh, not only at the description but that it was enough for Snowflake to know exactly who Leon was talking about.

Leon nodded. "Kid has a habit of being at the right place, right time when Heartless are involved. He's a friend of ours."

She frowned at them dubiously. "Alright… let's say I believe that." She clearly didn't. "That still doesn't explain why you all kidnapped me and brought me here."

Shaking his head, Merlin said, "We didn't. We're not entirely sure who or what did." A crease formed between her eyebrows, but she remained silent, waiting for him to continue. He sighed, "Where to begin…" He then stretched one hand out to her, gesturing the other towards the computer. "Come, my dear. Step this way."

Her eyes darted from his face to his hand a couple times and she didn't move at first. But then a soft, "It's alright," from Aerith paired with an encouraging smile finally had her, albeit somewhat hesitantly, climbing off the bed to stand and follow Merlin. She eyed the machine and monitors warily. She probably didn't know what the thing was. Axel suspected she was from a low-tech world. Probably wouldn't have recognized a digital wristwatch if one came up and bit her.

"Cid, if you would, please," the magus said.

"Yep," he grunted, typing away at his computer. One of its many curved lenses glowed and started to project lights out into the room. But then it hissed and the lights immediately spluttered out and died. "Dang heap o' useless parts," Cid muttered, banging a fist against the giant terminal before furiously tapping at the keyboard again. The lens lit up again and beamed out a holographic projection of a Heartless hovering in the room.

The woman gasped and took several steps back. Merlin spoke up hastily, "No need for alarm, my dear. It is merely a visual aid. See?" He swept his hand through the hologram, which flickered but otherwise did not react. "It is not real."

She frowned, stepping closer to the image and tentatively sticking a finger through it. "...what magic is this?"

Yup. Total luddite.

"You hear that Cid?" Yuffie snickered. "You're a magic user now."

He snorted with contempt. "Don't insult me."

"If I may continue," Merlin interjected sternly, adjusting his spectacles. "As you've come to know by now, this is a Heartless. Or… shadow fiend, as you so eloquently put it. Beings of pure darkness that seek and devour hearts."

"Yes, Sora said as much too," she murmured, only seeming to listen with half an ear, still fascinated by the hologram. She tipped her head to one side, casting her gaze to each of their faces once more, but this time with more wonder than fear or suspicion. "Who… are you people?"

They went around the room, introducing themselves one by one, ending with, "And I am Merlin, a great and powerful wizard."

"Great and powerful windbag, more like," Cid scoffed.

Merlin turned to glare at the man, but before he could say anything, the woman spoke up, "A wizard?" She looked down at her hands, "Is… is that how you were able to take away my magic?"

"Why, yes! Precisely! Only temporarily, of course."

"Oh…" she muttered, eyes downcast. Axel would have almost sworn she sounded disappointed at the news that her lack of powers was only for the short term. But that couldn't be right… could it? Whatever it was she was feeling, she visibly shook it off.

"So, you're… a wizard. He can conjure illusions," she pointed to Cid, at the same time nodding towards the hologram, to which Cid rolled his eyes but said nothing. Next she gestured to Axel, "And he can summon and control fire. You all have magic at your command. It's… amazing. I've never met… well, there _was_ Sora, but I thought… I never even imagined there could be so many who could…" She paused, her fingers absently toying with her braid. "...I believed myself to be alone... the only one burdened with such powers…"

Merlin stiffened at that, puffing out his mustache. "I say, I'd hardly call such a gift a _burden! _ And yes, you'll find there is much more magic in the universe than you ever realized, Miss…" he trailed off, looking at her expectantly.

She blinked. "Oh! Pardon my manners." She stood straighter, squaring her shoulders and clasping her hands together in front of her waist, giving a slight bow. "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

...a queen?

They were playing host to freaking _royalty_ in this run down little hovel?

"Arendelle?" Leon questioned. "Is that your kingdom?"

She nodded, her brow furrowing. "Have you… not heard of it?"

"Well…" Yuffie stretched out the word, scratching her cheek.

"Sorry to say," Cid leaned back, "but you ain't in Kansas anymore, Dorothy."

The corner of Elsa's lips tugged down. "I don't understand."

Merlin gave Cid a nod, who typed some more into the keyboard. The image of the Heartless vanished, replaced with a miniaturized replica of the very city they were all standing in. "This," Merlin waved a hand towards the display, "is Radiant Garden. This is where you are right now."

"Radiant Garden?" she cocked her head. "I don't know of such a kingdom, and I know all domains bordering Arendelle. How is that possible? Just how far from home am I?"

"Try a whole 'nother planet," Cid shrugged.

"A whole-?!" Her head rocked back as her eyes grew round. Aerith placed a comforting hand on her arm, but she hardly seemed to notice. She spluttered, "I- But- What- _How?_ How would such a thing even be possible?!"

"We're still trying to piece that one together, actually," Merlin said, running his fingers down his beard once again. "Could you possibly describe what happened when the Heartless struck?"

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth. "Well… they first attacked shortly after my coronation. That's when Sora showed up and defeated them all… or so we thought. A few scattered groups still lingered, but nothing I couldn't handle on my own. Sora left, but then… there was a ball…"

Wringing her hands together, Elsa sighed before continuing. "That's when the Heartless attacked again. It seems they had only gone into hiding, lying in wait for another opportunity to ambush. They were everywhere, and in such great numbers. I fought them off for a while, but they wouldn't stop coming. And then my sister… when I found her, she was pulled into a portal of shadows," she looked to Axel, a hint of distrust returning to her gaze, "much like the ones you use. I was about to go in after her, but then," she shook her head, "...I'm not sure. It was dark and I struggled against… something. It knocked me out, I suppose, but not before I was able to blast it with my magic. I think it lost its hold on me, but when I awoke, I was here, in Radiant Garden."

Merlin hummed thoughtfully at that. "Intriguing… very intriguing indeed. Well, we've established the Heartless seek out hearts, not just of humans, but the hearts of worlds as well."

"Worlds… have hearts?" Her fingers flew to her mouth. "Are you saying those monsters… _devoured_ Arendelle?"

"Not necessarily, no. Firstly," he said, adjusting his spectacles, "a few years ago, our mutual friend Sora sealed away the heart of every world, making it impossible for Heartless to get at them anymore. Secondly, even if that _was_ what had occurred, it's very rare for the inhabitants of the consumed world to make it out alive. The very lucky few that do are normally deposited into a place called Traverse Town."

"But… I didn't. I woke up here instead."

"Precisely, my dear, precisely. That leads me to suspect that something else spirited you away from your world. Though what exactly remains unseen at this time. Given it occurred during the Heartless raid however, there can be no doubt that darkness is at work here."

Though worry still etched the lines of her face, a bit of relief started seeping in as well. "So… Arendelle could be safe and whole and still out there."

Merlin nodded. "Absolutely, though we know not where. Cid here," he gestured his wand towards the man, who was once again clacking away at the keyboard, "is going to have our computer searching for it. Hopefully we'll have more information in the morning."

"What about Sora?" she pressed, looking to each of them. "Maybe he can tell us more about the current state of Arendelle. Do you have a way to contact him?"

Yuffie glanced up, putting a finger to one side of her chin. "Well, we do, but…"

A soft growl emitted from Leon. "Him and that damn phone he never answers. Don't get me started."

"Regardless," Merlin chimed in, "last time we spoke to him, he made no mention of you or your world. This is the first we're hearing of you, my dear. But as soon as we're in touch with him again, we'll get this matter all sorted."

She bowed her head in understanding, before looking up again a second later. "What about my sister, Anna?"

"It's possible she's safe and sound and, just like you, was teleported to a random world out there," Aerith suggested. "She might even be here, on Radiant Garden as well, and just hasn't made herself known yet. We'll let you know if anything turns up."

She didn't respond, instead just staring down at the floor, her eyes unfocused and her lips set in a grim line, seemingly lost in thought.

"We understand, this is a lot to absorb," Merlin said with care. "You've had a long day, your Majesty. A good night's rest should help. Things will look up in the morning."

"...alright," she murmured, her voice distant.

"I'll be releasing the bind on your powers as well, as I trust there will be no further incidents."

She bowed her head in acknowledgement, remaining quiet.

Leon caught Axel's eye. "Go show her where she'll be staying for the night."

He got it. Why he had been the one picked to play bellhop to her Royal Queenliness. Basically, they were kicking the kids out of the room so the grown-ups could talk in private. He simply nodded and pushed himself off the wall. Heading towards the door, he waved a hand over his shoulder. "Let's go, Snowflake."

She hesitated, staring after him uncertainly. "It's okay," Yuffie said brightly, giving her a light punch in the shoulder - a gesture that made Elsa blink a couple times. "He's good people. Er, once you get to know him."

She skeptically pursed her lips to one side before taking a deep breath, releasing it slowly, and following him out of the house.

With Radiant Garden continuing to be on the mend, a lot of families were still scattered out in the universe, having yet to find their way home. That meant there was a lot of empty residences that the committee used to house refugees, both natives and outsiders alike. So finding a place to put up Snowflake for the night wasn't going to be an issue. Axel even knew of an empty dwelling close to Merlin's home, which would probably be for the best.

They walked most of the short distance in silence, him in the lead, her trailing behind him. Hands clasped behind his head, he cast her a quick glance out of the corner of his eye. Hugging her arms around herself, her brow wrinkled as she squinted up at the night sky before releasing a sigh and hanging her head, staring at her feet as she trudged along. Looking forward once again, his eyelids drooped and he breathed out a quiet huff through his nose.

What a drag.

He almost liked her better when she was trying to murder him.

But he supposed he had to give her a break. That all _had_ been a lot for her to take in back there.

"Your name," she spoke up from behind him suddenly, her voice so small, he almost hadn't heard it. When he looked back at her again, she said, "You said it was…" she paused, visibly struggling as she sifted through the jumble of new info filling her mind.

"I didn't." When everyone else had been doing introductions, he'd skipped his turn. For the most part, he'd stayed out of the entire discussion altogether. Wasn't like he had much to add that hadn't already been said. He walked a few more steps before coming to a halt and turning to fully face her. "It's Axel." Tapping a finger to his temple, he added, "Got it memorized?"

She stopped walking as well, looking up at him. "Axel," she repeated softly, trying out his name.

"Yup." He bent forward, bringing himself down to eye level with her. "As for you," he poked the tip of her nose, "don't expect any Highnesses or Majesties from me. You may have been a queen back on your world, but that don't mean squat here. Here, you're just like the rest of us."

Her eyes widened at his gesture and he wondered if anyone had ever dared to boop her High and Mightiness in the nose before. He wondered if she even knew what a boop was. Shaking her head, she said, "No, I wouldn't expect… that is to say I… I suppose you're right."

"Course I am," he straightened up once more, waving a hand towards the door they had stopped in front of. "Anyway, here we are. Home sweet home." He pointed back in the direction they had come from down the street. "You can still even see Merlin's place from here. If you need anything, check back in there. The committee uses it as sort of an unofficial headquarters, so you can usually find at least one of them hanging around there at any given point of the day."

He opened the door for them and walked inside. As she followed him in, curious eyes darting about, taking in every inch of the humble abode, she asked, "The committee?"

"Radiant Garden Restoration Committee," he clarified. "Those goodly folks you just had the pleasure of meeting." He then stretched his arms out wide, gesturing to their surroundings. "Your chateau. It's no palace or whatever you're used to, but it should have all the bare necessities."

"It's very nice. I'm sure it'll be more than adequate for my needs. Thank you."

Scratching a spot behind his ear, he shrugged, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Kitchen's that way. Aerith or Yuffie'll stop by later with some grub for you. And through that door is the bedroom. Questions?"

She chewed her lower lip, twisting her braid and averting her gaze. It was clear she did want to ask something, but was uncomfortable and struggling with actually voicing it. Finally she cleared her throat and mumbled, "Is there a… tub? After today, I… think a warm bath would help."

"No bath, but there's a shower."

She stared at him, a complete lack of comprehension written across her face. "...a shower?"

He snerked. "Snowflake, prepare to have your mind blown."

"Excuse me?"

"Just follow me," he shook his head and made his way towards the door he had indicated a moment ago. He passed through it, through the bedroom on the other side towards a second door, pushing it open and making another sweeping hand gesture. "Behold! The future!" As she peeked inside the small adjoining bathroom, he started pointing at things. "Toilet - you can figure that one out on your own. Sink - for after you use the toilet. And shower - for washing away the grime and ick of any particularly nasty day."

He watched her step passed him and cautiously enter the restroom, looking remarkably out of place standing in it, dressed like she was as she glanced around warily. After giving her a few seconds to take it all in, he joined her, sliding open the glass door to the shower. "It's easy. Just step inside, slide this shut, twist those knobs and presto! Hot water will pour down on ya from that faucet. Soap and shampoo in that little shelf thing there. Simple stuff, yeah?"

She nodded slowly, "I suppose…"

"Great. I'll split and leave you to it then. Have fun discovering the wonders of modern technology!" He exited the bathroom, turning around just long enough to see her staring after him like a lost puppy. He snerked and closed the door to give her some privacy.

Big day for Snowflake. Kingdom overrun by Heartless. Sister kidnapped. New worlds. Indoor plumbing. It was all bound to be a bit overwhelming. She just needed to sleep on it and she'd probably bounce back tomorrow.

Right. Guess he couldn't procrastinate any longer. This little outing had been a blast, but it was time. Time to check back in with Merlin, time to head back to the hours and hours of strenuous keyblade practice awaiting his return, time to-

Snowflake cried out from within the bathroom, ripping him from his musings as his muscles instantly tensed.

Had a Heartless attacked her in there? Usually they wouldn't dare pop up so far inside the city. With no time to waste, he summoned his chakrams, kicked in the door and charged inside, skidding to an immediate stop.

"What the…?"

It looked like Jack Frost had friggin' exploded in here. Crystalized ice coated the floor, the walls, even the damn ceiling. A dense, chilly fog filled the room, making it impossible to see more than a few inches in front of his nose, though he could hear the shower running. With no threat readily apparent, he dismissed his weapons and used a hand to fan at the mist. "You all good in here, Snowflake?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I… just didn't realize how strong the spray of water would be, it surprised me and-"

At that instant, the clouds parted enough for him to spot her and make eye contact. She was standing in the shower stall, and while ice patches covered most of the glass door separating them, she was quite clearly…

...ahem, shall we say, in the buff.

They exchanged blank, wide-eyed stares for a few seconds where neither budged an inch.

Then she gasped and yelled, "_Get out!_"

"I- You- I didn't- This was-" he stammered awkwardly, feeling the blood rushing to his face. The ice snapped and crackled around him, growing thicker and expanding. "Right! Sure! Absolutely! S-Sorry!" he finally blurted before stumbling out of there and slamming the door shut behind him again.

Right. Okay. So… _that_ happened.

And on that unexpected note, _now_ it was time to get back to the nonstop drudgery of training.

Joy.

* * *

"Put me down this instant, you big oaf! This is no way to treat royalty!" Anna snapped, pounding her fists into her kidnapper's back.

He was covered head to toe in black by a long coat, complete with a large hood that hid his face. It had to be uncomfortably hot in that getup, what with the fact that he was currently lugging her over his shoulder while crossing a freaking desert! He ignored her assault on his spine as he continued to trudge forward.

A second figure sauntered along beside him, dressed in a similar cloak, also with the hood up. Judging by the considerably slimmer frame however, that one seemed to be female. And behind them, clinging to the ankle of Anna's captor and being dragged effortlessly along, was a little enchanted snowman beneath a tiny snowstorm.

"Don't worry, Anna, I'll rescue you!" Olaf called up to her as he dug his powdery heels in and leaned back, putting all his weight into it. Still the man did not slow and Olaf's round little feet merely scraped along the cracked, dirt encrusted ground. "I'm wearing him down! Weakening him! Soon he'll be too tired to go on and he'll have no choice but to let you go!"

"That's it, Olaf!" Anna cried back with a fierce grin, slamming her fist down again. "Get him! Bite him!"

"Yes Ma'am!" he saluted before chomping down on the back of the man's calf. No effect beyond a low, drawn out sigh coming from within the confines of the hood. Olaf pulled a face, drawing his head back and smacking his lips with a cringe. "So that's what evil tastes like. Kinda rubbery... with a hint of vinyl."

The two strangers in black came to an abrupt stop and Anna was suddenly and unceremoniously dropped onto the ground. Olaf scurried over to her as she stood up in a huff to her full height… which admittedly did not come anywhere close to either of her captors. Not deterred, she glared at them and struck up a finger, "Listen here, you clumsy brutes, I demand to speak to the person in charge here this _instant!_ You hear me? This-"

"You're speaking to him," a voice announced behind her. She froze for a brief second, before whirling around to discover they'd been joined by a third stranger. A tan old man with a bald head, heavy stoop to his shoulders, and bright yellow eyes. His lips curled into a half-smirk. "Welcome, Princess of Heart."

She blinked a couple of times before mustering all her obstinance once more, angrily smoothing out her skirts. "Princess, yes, but of heart? Psh, of heart nothing!" She mimed rolling up her nonexistent sleeves, cracked her knuckles and then marched straight up to him, stabbing an index finger into his chest. "I don't know what you're getting at, Baldie, but you're gonna be calling me Princess of Pain by the time I'm through with you!"

He breathed out a soft snort, "You don't say."

"That's right! And if you think I'm scary, just wait until you meet my sister! Oh-ho, when she finds out where I am, boy oh boy, are you gonna get it! Do you even know who she is? Have any idea what she could do to you?"

"Actually, I know exactly who and what she is. I was even hoping our dear queen would be so kind as to join us for this little tête-à-tête. Her absence is..." Baldie's eyes shifted to his two apparent underlings, "...unexpected."

The hooded man harrumphed. "You have Larxene to thank for that."

A low growl emitted from the other figure before the hood was lowered to indeed reveal a woman, blonde with a couple of locks styled back into what looked like antennae. She crossed her arms and looked away, sticking her nose up high. "She got away. I didn't expect her to fight back," she scoffed.

"Girl, what's up with your hair?" Anna quirked an eyebrow at her.

Larxene glared back, lightning sparking around her form as she drew back an arm. However she was stilled by the old man interjecting cooly, "So what do you plan to do about it?"

She sneered before relaxing again. "I'll get your new toy back, don't worry," she rolled her eyes. "Someone like her won't be able to remain hidden for long."

"You leave Elsa alone!" Olaf went charging off towards the woman.

Larxene easily sidestepped him as he pounced and faceplanted into the dirt. Then she snerked, "Remind me, why do we need to keep this creepy thing around again?"

"We don't," the shrouded man said flatly, turning to Olaf and taking a step towards him.

"Stop!" Anna yelled, rushing towards Olaf, elbowing the man in the gut as she ran by. It was like striking a solid rock wall for all the good it seemed to do. She kneeled down upon reaching her cowering friend, protectively hugging him close and scowling up at those… those… _jerks! _"If you so much as lay a finger on one of his coal buttons, I'll-"

"Now, now, there's no need for all of this," Baldie said as he stepped up between the other two. He pointed down at Olaf, "Tell me, my fine snowman, what is that? Over your head there?"

He sniffled. "...my own personal flurry…?"

"Indeed? Fascinating," he chuckled. "I imagine this… personal flurry of yours is the only reason you're nothing more than a pitiful puddle on the ground right now. Such a shame it would be if a gust of wind were to come by and…" he casually swept a hand out, fingers undulating, "blow it away."

Olaf only snuggled in closer to Anna. She said nothing, just glared daggers at them all.

"Now that we've reached an understanding of sorts, I trust you'll be a bit more compliant going forward? Good." Stretching an arm out to one side, Baldie flexed his fingers and there was a flash of purple light. When it died down, in his hand he now held a weapon. It was obsidian and spiky, with intricate patterns twisting down the flat of the blade. Most notably, it was shaped like a key.

Anna gasped. "You have a weapon like Sora's?!"

He snorted, raising it high over his head. "Or perhaps Sora has a weapon like mine." The tip of the key began to glow and he slammed it down into the ground. Violet and black jets shot out of the ground in straight lines from the impact point, forming a large square around Anna and Olaf. Everything around them began to quake and from those lines, massive stone walls erupted from the ground and rose several stories high.

Anna squeezed her eyes shut and shielded her friend with her body, protecting him from the rocks and debris flying everywhere. Once all the shaking had stopped, Anna cautiously peeked one eye open and looked around. The four walls around them basically formed a makeshift room - one with no doors or windows, no openings whatsoever except for the lack of ceiling that was yards and yards above. Unreachable. They were trapped. Baldie and his two henchmen seemed to have caught a ride up from one of the newly formed barricades, for now they were all the way at the top and staring down at the two of them.

"Your new accommodations, Princess," he called down to her. "I hope you find them agreeable, for this is where you will be staying for the foreseeable future. It's a bit spacious for just the two of you, I know, but worry not. You'll have a few new roommates to keep you company before long." With a soft cackle, he turned and walked away, the other two following at his heels like obedient pets.

Anna slumped against one of the impenetrable stone walls, sliding down until she was sitting on the ground. Olaf was at her side, gently patting her arm. "Don't worry, Anna. Everything will work out fine in the end, you'll see."

She smiled at him, though it was weak. "I'm sure it will, Olaf. I hope Kristoff is okay." Hugging her knees to her chest, she stared up at the sky, which somehow seemed even further away now that she was surrounded by these high, dusty walls. She whispered, "Elsa… wherever you are… stay away. It's not safe for you here. It's not safe for either of us."

* * *

_**A/N:** Yaaaaaay, info dump chapter to get Elsa up to speed! Hopefully it doesn't seem too off that they all haven't quite pieced together that the Organization was behind the kidnap attempt. As you might be able to gather from what Merlin said, they haven't spoken to Sora since he left Arendelle, so they don't know Elsa and Anna are Princesses of Hearts and so have no reason to think the Organization is after them. The Corridors of Darkness that snagged them might be a big clue, but then again, the Organization aren't the only ones who use those - they're just the ones who mainstreamed it and made it cool xD In any case, I have my reasons for wanting Elsa to stay on Radiant Garden for the next few chapters and the committee probably wouldn't let her do that if they figured out right away that she was a Princess of Heart! Don't worry, it'll get figured out soon enough... but not before we have a little more fun on this world first xD Also... sorry, not sorry for the shower scene xD I got weak and carried away and couldn't help myself! Allow me to indulge in my stupid trope-y moments, okay? xD_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the spectacular and glorious **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being outstanding betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Daughter of Kyne**, **Mad Oni**, **ScarletEmperor**, **Spiderfan626**, and **SoraKairiRikuNamine** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, I'm dehydrating over here from all the tears of happiness! You're all so astounding, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: Anna's whole scene at the end of this chapter? Completely new! Was not there before the revisions! Before I played KH3 and found out that Elsa and Anna were new Princesses of Hearts, I hadn't quite come up with what had stolen the two of them from their world yet while writing this. I never dreamed in a million years they would be made into new Princesses of Hearts, so I couldn't quite decide on which nefarious entity (be it Organization, Maleficent, some new big bad in charge of the Heartless, or whatever) would steal them away and to what end. All I knew is I wanted Elsa out in the universe and with a good reason to want to explore other worlds - what better reason than a missing sister! That said, in the original I had not come to a decision yet on what exactly had happened to Anna or where she had ended up. Playing KH3 certainly answered those questions marks however and made all the pieces fall into place, and this final new scene added after revisions practically wrote itself! And Anna's always so fun to write, so it was nice to have an excuse to make her sass the Organization - and you all know she so would, that girl has no sense of self preservation, and that's why we adore her so much xD_

_Thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, word to your mothers, and other such phrases that shouldn't be coming out of the likes of lil ol' me!_


	6. Chapter 6

The past few days had felt like a dream.

Or maybe nightmare would have been a more accurate word for it.

Sadly they had been very much real, Elsa realized as she awoke in a strange bed in a small room that was not her own.

The coronation and catastrophe that had followed had been real. Hans turning into that possessed lupine beast had been real. Sora and his unusual companions had been real. Heartless… shadows come to life with eerie glowing, empty, ravenous eyes… had been real. Were _still_ very much real. They had actually attacked Arendelle. They had somehow transported her to a whole other _world_, and Arendelle was out there, somewhere in the heavens above. Finding it again seemed impossible. Like finding a needle in a haystack.

And Anna…

Kidnapped by those very same creatures of darkness. Possibly on this very planet Elsa found herself on, but doubtful. More likely lost out among the stars as well. Finding her would be like trying to find a _flea_ on a needle in a haystack.

It all seemed so unreal. Impossible. Fantastical.

But no. This was her reality now… it would seem…

At first she had been too shocked to argue at the absurdity of it all. What with the odd way the strangers dressed, their peculiar manner of speaking, their mysterious devices, their capacity to conjure illusions, their ability to _cut her off_ from her own powers… it had all been a bit overwhelming, to say the least.

As the daze had worn off, she had had half a mind to call their bluff and to make a break for it. A different planet? Lies and falsehoods. But the absence of her magic was no fabrication, and she doubted she would have gotten far without it. Even when her magic had been restored, this Merlin was a powerful sorcerer indeed and she suspected he could have just as easily taken it away again had she attempted to run.

But even if this all appeared to be some trick, even if their words sounded like some concoction of untruths and fairytales made to keep her complacent and do as she was told, even if believing it all would make her feel like the biggest fool to ever walk the face of the earth… a tiny voice inside of her rebelled against those ideas. She did not know these people, but still she sensed no wicked intent from them. They had shown her kindness. They hadn't locked her up, but rather provided her shelter that was not under guard. It honestly felt like they wanted to help her and that they… at least _thought_ what they told her was the truth.

It hadn't completely banished her misgivings, but it had silenced them. For the time being anyway.

But what had convinced her more than anything else was looking up at the sky while Axel led the way to her new lodgings the night before. The stars were different here. Completely unrecognizable.

Even if it turned out she wasn't on a whole new world, she was still a long way from home. A very, _very_ long way.

Yesterday morning, her biggest problem had been keeping her powers under control. To think that was now the least of her worries…

At least the people seemed nice, if not a bit bizarre. But then, if she truly was on another planet, she supposed that was to be expected. Aerith was the picture of grace and sweetness. Serenity personified. She practically exuded a calming aura and it was little wonder the rest had made sure she was the first person Elsa saw upon regaining consciousness. Cid was pleasant enough, despite seeming to be a bit of a cantankerous old grump. Leon had been quiet for the most part, but a reassuring presence all the same.

Yuffie was somewhat of an oddball. All bright and chipper and quite simply a fountain of energy. She actually reminded Elsa a lot of Anna, and would not have been surprised if her sister would have become fast friends with the girl, should they ever meet. It was because of the similarities that Elsa probably found Yuffie's company to be the most comforting of them all. Even if the woman's outfit was a bit… strange. If her scant garments were enough to even be called an outfit.

Definitely not to be forgotten was Merlin. The wise wizard more powerful than even herself. She had never dreamed that she would meet any people who, like her, wielded any sort of magic, much less one whose powers would exceed her own. And he seemed like such a sweet old man, even if he and that Cid fellow appeared to butt heads a bit from time to time. He also seemed to be a wealth of knowledge and willing to answer questions, which she fully intended to make use of today, now that she had had time to take in and fathom everything that had happened to her.

...then there was Axel.

Truthfully, she hardly knew what to make of _that_ one. He made her… uncomfortable. Not that she had a bad feeling about him per se, but still, something about him gave her a sense of unease. Perhaps it was their less than friendly introduction. Maybe it was instinctual, her nature being ice and his apparently that of fire, putting them naturally at odds. Possibly it was his ability to summon up dark portals so like the one that had swallowed her sister whole. Mayhaps it was his attitude towards her, which was not necessarily rude, but could hardly be called friendly either.

...maybe it was the little shower incident.

Feeling her cheeks warm, she banished the memory swiftly. There were more important things to be thinking about. More important things to be doing. It was time to start her day.

Pulling herself out of the bed, she made her way to the bathroom, which she had familiarized herself with more last night after her shower. Using the mirror, she did some touch ups and tried her best to make herself look presentable. Next stop was the kitchen. Yuffie had indeed dropped by with some food for her late yesterday evening, which not only included supper, but extra provisions for breakfast today. Picking up a bag of what were called (if memory served) bagels, she sliced one in half and slipped it into the shiny little toaster device, as Yuffie had demonstrated for her the night before. She still flinched when they loudly popped back out a moment later, even though she was more prepared for it this time than she had been during Yuffie's lesson. After applying the accompanying spread, she consumed both halves swiftly to quiet her rumbling stomach.

Mmmmmm, delicious! When this whole mess was over and behind her, she'd have to see if she could get the cooks back at Arendelle to replicate the dish.

Dusting away any crumbs and running her hands down her gown to smooth the nonexistent wrinkles, she left the house and made her way back to Merlin's. There she found the wizard seated at his little table at the center of the room with Aerith, the two deep in discussion, while Cid was once again found tapping away at the… computer, was it? When she entered, that latter ignored her. The other two rose from their chairs, Aerith with that gentle smile of hers, Merlin with a low bow and a warm, "Good morning, your Majesty."

"Good morning. Please, no need for such formalities. Elsa is fine," she nodded, folding her hands in front of her waist. She recalled Axel's words very clearly in her mind about her titles bearing little significance here. He'd made a valid point. Glancing around, she asked, "Where are the others?"

Walking down the stairs to approach her, Aerith said, "Leon and Yuffie went out on patrol. The Heartless have been more active lately it seems and they're trying to figure out why. As for Lea, I suspect he has returned to his training." She glanced to Merlin, who nodded.

Her eyebrows knit together. "Lea? Who is Lea?"

"Oh, did he introduce himself to you as Axel?" Aerith asked.

A scoff erupted from one corner of the room, pulling their attention to Cid. "Axel, Lea... who can even keep track anymore, what with him changing it every two goddamn minutes! Kid needs to make up his goldarn mind!"

He had more than one name? How very peculiar. She couldn't help but wonder why. And training? Training for what? Perhaps it wasn't really her place to know the answers to these questions. Putting her roaming thoughts aside, Elsa cleared her throat and instead asked, "Has there been any word on my sister?"

A small frown bent her lips as she shook her head. "Unfortunately, she doesn't appear to be in Radiant Garden. Our security system is pretty good at picking up new arrivals, but scans only detected your appearance yesterday."

Elsa schooled her expression to hide her disappointment, merely nodding. Even though she knew it had been a long shot that Anna would be so near at hand, it hadn't stopped her from hoping. So… Anna was hidden in the big wide galaxy somewhere. "Have you heard anything from Sora?"

"Sadly, no. Probably wrapped up in another adventure on some other planet by now and still too busy to check his phone. So we haven't had the chance to talk to him yet about the whereabouts or state of your world. Cid's computer has yet to locate it either, but give it time. It is a vast universe to sort through, after all."

Taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly, she asked, "Okay. Then when do we leave?"

"Pardon?" Merlin said, one eyebrow quirked, at the same time Aerith asked, "Leave? Where…?"

She pointed a finger skyward. "Out there. To other worlds. I would like to begin the search for my sister immediately."

Lifting his chin, Merlin gave her a stern look. "You will do no such thing."

Her back stiffened. "You can hardly expect me to just sit here and do nothing while Anna is lost and possibly in danger or hurt or-"

"That is precisely what I expect you to do," he interrupted her with a scowl. "My dear, you have no business traveling to other planets. For that matter, barring the meddling of the Heartless, you have no business being on this or any other planet but your own. Given that you had little say in the events that brought you here however, we must make do with the circumstances and proceed with caution. That means _you_ staying put and not doing anything reckless while _we_ do what we can to get you home. Do I make myself clear?"

"But-"

"I said, do I make myself clear?" he repeated firmly.

Gone was the kindly old man, replaced by a very imposing figure indeed that brooked no argument. Elsa felt for all the world like a scolded child before a displeased parent.

She was silent for several seconds, returning his glare. Then finally, she ground out through her teeth, "Yes."

And just like that, the severity left his face, replaced with a cheery smile once more. "Very good."

She felt Aerith taking her hand and Elsa had to suppress the reflex to jerk it away from the woman. Human contact was still a thing she was getting used to, after going so many years of her life without. She still worried about her powers harming others, even if she had a better rein on them now.

Giving her fingers a light, comforting squeeze, Aerith said, "Don't worry. We'll find your sister and your home world. Just give us some time."

Feeling some of the tension leaving her body already, Elsa lowered her head in acceptance. "Thank you," she murmured. It didn't sit well with her, just twiddling her thumbs here while Anna was missing, possibly at the mercy of the Heartless. But maybe this would be better in the long run. These people knew what they were doing, unlike her, who wouldn't know the first thing about space travel. She could give them the time they asked for… for now, at least.

Turning her gaze back to Merlin, she said, "There is actually something else I was hoping to ask you."

"Ask away, my dear."

She hesitated, her fingers toying with her braid. A certain possibility had been flitting at the back of her mind ever since she had left Merlin's house the day before. One that she had barely acknowledged, but still persistently needled at her thoughts all the same. At last, wringing her hands together, she began, "Would you… Would it be… Ah, could it be possible for you to… nullify… my powers again? Permanently, that is?"

He seemed taken aback by the question. "Why in heaven's name would you ever want-"

"Could you do it or not?" she pressed, staring hard at the ground as to avoid his gaze. Just because she was gaining more control over her ice magic little by little, just because she had come to accept it as a part of herself… didn't necessarily mean she wanted it. Not if there was an opportunity to be rid of it altogether. Not if there was a chance she could be… normal…

Someone like Merlin, who seemed to relish and even take great pride in his own mastery over the mystical arts, could not possibly understand, so she did not see the point of even trying to explain herself to him.

She heard him let out a low, drawn out sigh. "No. I can only negate them for a little while, as sort of a stopgap. But abolishing them completely? Such a thing is beyond even my capabilities."

Elsa suppressed her grimace. She had suspected as much. But it had still been worth asking. She glanced up once more, meeting his gaze now. "Then… could you instead help me to better master them? I'm still learning and they're not yet completely under my control. I have improved, but they still have a mind of their own sometimes and have a tendency to run amok at the most inconvenient moments."

He stroked his beard, his eyes crinkling slightly. "Now _that_ is something I could be of assistance with, my dear. We can start your training tomorrow."

A soft smile graced her lips and she bent her knees in a small curtsy. "Thank you."

"Elsa," Aerith broke in, now that that particular line of conversation seemed to be finished. "Can I ask you something?"

Her eyes went to the other woman. "Yes, of course."

Aerith put a hand on her shoulder and walked them a few steps away from the men. Giving her a quick look over, she tapped a finger to her own chin and asked in a lowered voice, "You didn't sleep in that, did you?"

She blinked in surprise, glancing down at the gown she had been wearing since Arendelle. "Why, yes. Yes, I did."

Her lips pursed. "That couldn't have been comfortable."

"It was actually. It's crafted from my ice magic, and can adjust and shift as needed, so it's reasonably comfortable in any situation."

Her green eyes widened a fraction. "Wow, that's woven from ice? Impressive. Still… you will need more clothes than just that. Despite our best efforts to locate your world, you might be with us for a while. Besides, you should be walking around dressed like a resident of our city, not like nobility running a country."

A crease formed between her eyebrows. "So what is it you suggest?"

Leaning forward, Aerith flashed her a sunny smile, closing her eyes and clapping her hands lightly together. "Shopping trip!"

* * *

Several hours later found Elsa wandering the streets of Radiant Garden alone. As she walked along, she found it difficult not to self-consciously fuss with her new and wholly unfamiliar attire. She supposed Aerith had been right, that her enchanted dress had made her stick out like a sore thumb, but _this_, she felt, might have been taking it a bit too far.

She now wore a light blue, long sleeved, off the shoulder tunic top cinched in at the waist with a belt. Black leggings hugged her legs, and her frozen slippers had been replaced by a pair of black heeled ankle boots. Having only ever worn dresses all her life, it was the pants that made her feel the most awkward. They… were just weird.

Aerith had also purchased her a few dresses as well. Though their style was different here from that of Arendelle, the idea of them still made her more comfortable. They, along with several more tops and pants now filled her wardrobe at the house she was staying in. Having considered it all a job well done, Aerith had some tasks to see to and had suggested Elsa explore the city on her own in order to get to know it better.

Her hands were bare. She had resisted the urge to pick up several pairs of gloves on her little excursion with Aerith, though her fingers practically itched to be encased in fabric once again where they could do no harm. However, she mercilessly squashed the yearning as she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. She would not give in, she was stronger than that. She would just have to remember her sister and let the hope that they would soon be reunited fill her with warmth, ease her anxieties and banish her doubts.

No one would fall victim to her powers. No one. She wouldn't allow it.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she continued walking along, her curious eyes taking in every sight. The city was massive and maze-like, making it easy to lose oneself in. The thoroughfare was crowded, and she took care not to bump into anyone as she attempted to familiarize herself with the town - her new home, it would seem... for the time being, anyway.

She continued on for a few more minutes until something brought her footsteps to a stuttering halt. An aroma filled the air, and it smelled delicious. Her stomach sounded its agreement with a loud rumble. She supposed it was almost lunch time. Perhaps an investigation into what this strange city had to offer by way of cuisine was in order.

She let her nose guide her feet to the source of the mouthwatering scent and found herself standing in front of what appeared to be a small restaurant of sorts. A large, wide window stood open over a countertop, with a merchant standing just inside, a variety of mysterious foods on display behind him and a huge menu overhead.

As she eyed the menu, she mused how very odd this world still was to her. For starters, she was fairly certain she'd never get used to the idea that she was on a completely different planet. Everything seemed strange to her here, from the fashion the townsfolk wore, to the fact that magic abounded freely here, to even something so simple as food. Sure, she was able to read the menu, but damned if any of it made sense to her. Hamburger? Nachos? Now, the words 'hot' and 'dog' were ones she recognized, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to find out what exactly that particular meal entailed.

Finally, she took an uncertain step towards the window. "Hello, could I please have a… a pie-zah?" she ventured awkwardly.

The man behind the counter raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean a pizza, lady?"

"Um…" Looking at the menu again, she supposed the word could be pronounced that way too. "…yes?"

"All we got left is pepperoni. Is that okay?"

What did that even mean? "Sure."

Elsa fiddled with her braid as she watched the man open what appeared to be a lit up display case on his left and use a napkin to pull something out. It was flat, triangular, and seemed to be covered in polka-dots. How very bizarre.

He handed it to her. It was delightfully warm in her hands as she smiled and nodded her head, "Thank you very much."

She began to walk away but hadn't taken more than a step before she heard him snap, "Hold it, lady, you still have to pay for that."

She glanced in his direction once more, blinking a couple times. "…pay?" It was not a term she was wholly unfamiliar with. Growing up in a palace, she knew the cooks, guards and other castle servants were paid a monthly wage for their services. However, having spent a good portion of her life locked away in her room so as not to hurt anyone, she was quite understandably not all that well acquainted with how street vendors worked.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, you know… as in, munny?"

Elsa frowned and shook her head, "But I don't have any-"

"No munny?! What do you think I'm running here, some kind of charity?"

"No, that's not-" she stopped, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, then decided to try a different tactic. Maybe Merlin or someone else from the committee would be able to help her get this whole mess sorted out. "How about I go get some munny to pay you with? I'll be right back." Once again, she turned to leave.

"Oh no you don't, you little thief," the man barked, seizing her wrist in his iron grasp. "Think I was born yesterday? I'm not falling for that old trick."

"Trick? What are you talking about, I wasn't trying to…" With a wince, she realized she had still been holding the pizza when she had tried to leave. No wonder he thought her a thief. "This is all just a misunderstanding. If you'll just let me explain-"

He gave a gruff snort and rolled his eyes. "You're not going to talk your way out of this, lady. You're in big trouble."

She felt panic slowly beginning to rise in her chest, her breathing becoming shallow. As her heart rate quickened, the temperature around her dropped and her eyes widened as she spotted a few snowflakes materialize and drift to the ground. This was bad. She eyed his fingers wrapped around her arm. His grip was slightly painful, but it wasn't her own safety she was worried about. "Let go," she said quietly. "Please…"

_I don't want to hurt you._

"Ha!" the loud, unfriendly laugh exploded out of him, making her jump. Ice began to claw its way outward on the cobblestones beneath her feet. "Yeah right! No, you're not going anywhere. I'm gonna-"

"I believe this should more than adequately cover the bonnie lass's meal," a new voice with a strange accent interjected.

Both the food merchant and Elsa looked down at the countertop where a generous sum of munny had been placed. And standing before it was a duck. More specifically, a duck with a top hat, spectacles, walking cane, and wearing a rather dapper coat.

As if this place wasn't odd enough already.

True, this wasn't her first encounter with a bird that was more vocal than was usually to be expected. There'd been Sora's ally… Donald, she believed his name had been. But she'd thought him a rarity. One of a kind. Now faced with this second waterfowl decked in clothes, she had to wonder… was there a whole world out there populated with walking, talking, fashion-conscious ducks? This ever expanding universe she was learning more about bit by bit was truly filled with endless possibilities, it seemed. The mind boggled!

Scowling, the vendor released her wrist with a shove and began counting the munny. Elsa's heart was still racing, but it was beginning to slow with the situation now seemingly defused. Taking deep breaths, she concentrated on her bond with her sister, using it to melt away the last of the dread that had been building up inside her. The ice beneath her feet gradually receded and the air around her began to warm. After a moment, the man grudgingly nodded. "Mr. McDuck," was all he said in the way of gratitude. He then glared at Elsa and grumbled, "Please feel free to use any of the condiments on your left, miss."

Quirking an eyebrow, she eyed the colorful assortment of bottles and other small containers on the counter that he'd indicated. She wouldn't even know where to begin, but she feared refusing might only offend the already irate man even further, so she hastily picked one at random. She fumbled with it for a moment before realizing she needed to turn it upside down and squeeze. Some sort of yellow sauce came out. She applied it generously to her pizza.

"Don't mind him." With a start, she whipped her head around and found the duck seemed to be talking to her. Her eyes shifted from her feathered savior to the merchant, who no longer appeared to be paying attention, and back. If she didn't know any better, she'd almost guess her new friend was smiling at her. How was it even possible for a duck to smile? "He wouldn't have actually done anything, he's just quick to jump to conclusions and doesn't take too kindly to those he thinks are stealing from him."

"I… see," she muttered, looking back down at her food. It was now covered in the mystery yellow sauce. Was that enough? Maybe just a little more to be on the safe side. To the duck, she said, "Your help was most appreciated. You have my gratitude."

"My pleasure, don't even mention it! Name's Scrooge McDuck. And I'm guessing you're the ice-slinging lassie everyone's been talking about."

She felt a blush creeping into her face. "Ah, yes. I suppose that would be me. I'm Elsa," she bowed her head. She would have curtsied, but the idea of doing so in pants seemed absurd. Then she frowned. "People have been talking about me?"

"Aye, lassie. You caused quite a stir when you arrived after all," he nodded. "Why, word spread even so far as to reach my ears, and I was all the way over in Twilight Town!"

"Twilight…?"

"Never ye mind, lass. Suffice it to say my interest was peaked and I simply had to hitch a ride from Merlin to come meet ye for meself." He then turned, "Come, walk with me. I have a proposition for you."

"Oh? Er… alright." Putting the bottle back with the rest of the seasonings, she picked up her food and hurried to catch up to him. For a duck with a walking stick, he was a lot harder to keep pace with than one might expect. "What did you have in mind, ah… Mr. McDuck?"

"It would seem to me that you are in need of funds."

"I am?"

He chuckled. "Aye, unless you were planning on that being your last meal," he pointed the tip of his cane up at the slice she carried. "Food's not free, as our jolly friend back there made abundantly clear. You're going to be needing a means of keeping yourself fed."

"I suppose," she admitted slowly. Truth be told, she actually hadn't thought about it all that much. What with so many big (and quite honestly insane) changes in her life happening in the span of just a few short days, she hadn't really had the time to think about the more mundane things, such as not going hungry. Maybe she had been assuming her new acquaintances within the committee would take care of her. But that would just be inconsiderate! She would not allow herself to burden anyone. "You do make a point."

"That I do, lassie. Then there's the matter of your missing sister."

She blinked. How did he know about that? And why did he keep calling her lassie? That wasn't even close to her name. Her head canted to one side, "What about her?"

"I imagine you'll want to go looking for her?"

Merlin's reprimand from this morning about that very notion still rang in her ears. "W-well, yes, of course, but-"

"Then the way I see it, if you're going to be traipsing across the whole galaxy looking for her, you'll be needing munny. It could book you passage on a Gummi ship."

"A what?"

"Vessels that travel the stars, lassie, from one planet to the next. They're very rare indeed, with only a scant few left in existence today. I happen to be in possession of a wee ship meself, and may be willing to take on passengers in the future." He winked. "If ye have the munny, o' course." Raising his cane, he went on, "Then there's the moogles."

Elsa arched an eyebrow at him. "Moogles?"

"Traders. Munny grubbing brigands, more like," he scoffed. "They have a presence on every planet, and they'll swindle you for everything you have if you let them. But if you're going to survive out there, you'll have to deal with them. And if you're going to be dealing with them, you'll need munny."

"Alright, you've made your case." Despite Merlin's words, she still wanted to be out there, searching for her sister. Maybe the committee wasn't going to be helping her do that, but that didn't mean she couldn't take the help from elsewhere if offered… right? "So what are you proposing?" she asked distractedly as she eyed her pizza before giving it a sniff. It smelled peculiar. Perhaps it was the sauce?

The finely dressed duck adjusted his glasses with a grin. "A job. I'd like to hire you."

She stumbled a bit. "A job?" She'd never had a job before, at least not in the traditional sense of the word. She supposed being a queen could be considered a job, but not a typical one. Queen was more of a… a calling. Queens weren't _hired_ to do _jobs_. The very idea was ludicrous. But then… she wasn't really a queen on this planet, was she? Axel had made that _abundantly_ clear. "…what sort of job?"

"There are many businesses I run across the worlds far and wide. Restaurants, bistros, cafes… more locally, I have a wee establishment that caters to clientele seeking decadent frozen treats. I feel that with your particular gifts, you would be well suited for handling the day-to-day operations of the business."

Her brow furrowed. _Decadent frozen treats?_ "…ice cream?" she blurted out in realization. "You want me to sell ice cream?"

He nodded and tipped his hat. "Aye, though I would have ye do more than just sell it. I'd love it if you could weave a bit o' your magic to keep the inventory cool and preserved as well."

"…you want me to sell ice cream," she repeated again slowly. Well… it sounded simple enough. Because really, after ruling a whole kingdom, how hard could one little ice cream shop be? And if it would get her the munny she needed to get by and get out there searching for Anna, then she really couldn't see a reason to turn it down. Still, she hesitated. "I appreciate the offer, Mr. McDuck, I truly do. But I have to wonder at why you are being so generous when we hardly know each other."

"Generous my tail feathers, lass. This is a mutually beneficial business arrangement. Why, the amount you'll save me on refrigeration costs alone will more than make up for your wages," he harrumphed, then came to a stop and faced her. "So, do we have a deal?" he asked, stretching out a hand towards her.

She stared uncertainly down at him for a few seconds. Then she took a deep breath and released it slowly, shifted her pizza slice to one hand to free the other and exchanged handshakes with the duck. "Yes, we do."

"Fantastic!" he gleefully rubbed his hands together. "Now, if you'll follow me, I can show you where my little shop is, give ye the tour and a rundown of all you'll need to know."

"Alright," she nodded and fell into step beside him once more. Her stomach softly gurgled again, and she supposed now she could finally eat her lunch. Without further ado, she bit down into the pizza.

…_ew._

She must have been making quite the face, for she heard barely stifled sniggers coming from her companion.

Great. Now the duck in a top hat was laughing at her.

"Word to the wise, lass," he told her between guffaws. "Mustard doesn't go on pizza."

"Duly noted," she muttered with a sour face.

"Toss that rubbish and we'll find ye something edible to eat, then head to the shop."

Relieved, she dumped the ruined pizza into the nearest trash bin and followed closely behind her soon-to-be new boss.

* * *

_**A/N:** There's a very obvious solution to how Elsa can start traveling to other worlds without going to all this trouble, perhaps you dear readers have already thought of it? If not, don't worry, I've thought of it for you and it'll become quite clear in a few more chapters! xD Slowed down the story quite a bit here, but hopefully I still made it fun! Have to fill up Elsa's downtime somehow, Axel can't be around all the time to keep her on her toes... not just yet, anyway xD I dunno, just really like playing with the idea of Elsa being confronted with a more modern civilization and technology than she is used to. Plus it's always fun to bring in other characters for a cameo, and you know Scrooge would capitalize on Elsa's powers in a heartbeat given half the chance! Next chapter, we peek in on Axel and what he's been up to during the time, and we reintroduce this foreign concept some people like to call actual plot xD_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the majestic and resplendent** Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being awesome betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Mad Oni**, **SoraKairiRikuNamine**, **Spiderfan626**, **ScarletEmperor**, and **Daughter of Kyne** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, I'm drowning in my tears of joy! You're all too kind, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: Actually, this was one of the few chapters that didn't need much revisions to make it fit with the KH3 story. Just a few small tweaks - having Scrooge say something about Twilight Town here (since I didn't know that's where he was gonna be before I played KH3 xD), adding a paragraph about Donald there (because in the original I wrote, she only met Sora, not his two oddball companions), and one last minute tweak about the name Lea. But what MIGHT be interesting to know is this is technically the first chapter I wrote for this story, tho when I originally wrote it, it wasn't for a full length story at all, but just some background for a KH play-by-post roleplay game I'd join. It wasn't until much later when I started plotting this story that I figured I could work this bit in - and trust me, it's not just filler, it's gonna factor in later to our two leading stars' ever blossoming little relationship xD_

_Anyway, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and catch ya'll on the flip side!_


	7. Chapter 7

He could feel each heavy chime reverberating throughout his entire body as he climbed the last set of steps to the top of the clock tower. In his hands, he carried bars of sea salt ice cream. The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the sky in striking oranges and reds. As he approached the final turn before he'd be standing in front of the huge clock face, he saw a long shadow stretching out across the floor from behind the corner.

Well… seemed someone had beaten him here.

He grinned as he turned the corner. "You're early."

"No," Roxas replied, not turning to face him, eyes instead remaining glued to that glorious sunset. "You're just late," he finished… except, as he spoke, the voice mutated, becoming more high pitched and feminine. The spiky golden hair darkened, slowly shifting to a jet black as it grew and stretched down to the nape of the neck.

Shocked, he halted in his tracks, eyes widening. "What the… Xi-" Whatever he was going to say was lost in a sudden sharp, but mercifully brief pain lashing throughout his skull. He winced, releasing a soft hiss through his teeth, shaking his head.

Wait, what… _had_ he been about to say? He was… having trouble recalling…

"It's strange…" the dark haired girl that had replaced Roxas said. She still wore an Organization coat, but her back was to him, her face remaining a mystery. "I used to be the one who had dreams every night that I didn't understand with you in them… funny how we've swapped places now, it seems."

Looking down at his hands, he blinked. Why was he carrying _three_ ice cream bars? Who was the extra one for? "Do I… know you?"

She giggled, a light breeze rustling a few of her obsidian strands. "So rude! How could you forget? I thought we were best friends!" Her tone was light. Teasing, even.

He frowned, shaking his head again. His brain felt fuzzy. "...best friends?"

"Mhm! The three of us used to sit and watch the sunset together. You, Roxas, and me. Don't you remember?" Her shoulders slumped slightly. "...no… I suppose you wouldn't…"

A tiny twinge of guilt pricked at his chest, though he didn't fully understand why. "I..." he began, but that's all that would come out. With a start, he realized he was carrying only two sea salt ice creams now. There _had_ been a third one a second ago… hadn't there?

With a sigh, she went on, "You said once that we'd never be apart as long as we remembered each other." Did he? It sounded like something he would say, but… ugh, why did his memories seem so damn cloudy all of a sudden? "I guess... we're all apart now then… so very, very far apart."

There was now only one ice cream bar left within his grasp. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.

She ignored his question. "It's for the best, I suppose." She was beginning to vanish where she sat, her form slowly becoming transparent, her voice turning hollow and distant. "I'm back where I belong. Things are as they should be."

"Who are you?" he repeated more forcefully, running forward, grabbing her shoulder, and yanking back. "Who-"

Before he could see her face, the oranges and reds shattered around him like broken glass, falling away to an all consuming darkness. Axel's heart pounded in his ears as his eyes frantically darted about. Sweat coated his temples, his neck, and trickled down his back. His body trembled, which he struggled to suppress as his vision began to adjust and make out shapes in the black.

He was in his room, sitting up in his bed. It was the middle of the night.

...a dream.

Just another dream. Just like all the other ones he had been having lately.

No… actually, there was something different about this one.

This one… he remembered.

* * *

"Yeouch!" Axel grunted as Kairi managed to land another hit on him with her keyblade.

That's right, _another_. This one had been to his hip.

She huffed, flicking her hair. "Keep up, grandpa! What, did someone forget to eat their Wheaties this morning?"

"Shove it, Princess. I got a lot on my mind," he grumbled, though it was half hearted.

Merlin had technically given them the day off from training. However, there wasn't a whole lot to do in this magical little forest in the middle of nowhere and no_when_, so it was hardly noon before the two keyblade wielders were to be found at the Ring, sparring just for the hell of it. Axel had discarded his Organization cloak on a nearby boulder, now training in the black fitted tank top he normally wore underneath along with his slacks and boots. Luckily for him, it seemed his keyblade had decided to take time out of its busy schedule to appear when he had summoned it today.

She snorted, "Clearly." She jabbed her blade at him and this one he deflected. Using her momentum to shift into a spinning swing, she asked, "Like what?"

Like who the blazes that strange girl with the raven hair was in his dream. She had been wearing one of those long dark coats he had become so familiar with, but he didn't remember anyone like that ever being in the Organization. True, in all likelihood it was no one, just a made up person in a half-baked vision conjured from his slumber. His cracked mind had certainly dreamt up weirder stuff in the past. But… he couldn't quite shake the sense that this felt different. This felt real. This felt important. This felt-

_Whack!_

Score another one for Kairi, this time to the gut. "Oof!" he wheezed, stumbling back a step.

"Quit spacing out, old timer! That's like the twelfth strike I've landed on you, when normally I call one or two a good day." She snerked, poised for another attack. "You losing your touch?" Then she lunged forward, keyblade thrust out in front of her.

Narrowing his eyes, he easily sidestepped her charge, his own keyblade landing a hit on her back as she flew past him. Then she spun on her heel, raising her weapon overhead to strike at him again. His free hand shot out, catching her by the forehead, his palm covering her eyes. She froze for a second, before snarling and blindly swinging her keyblade trying to land some blows, but he had no problem dodging them while his long arm held her at bay.

Kairi was a good fighter, there was no doubt about it. But he had nearly ten years of experience working as the Organization's assassin under his belt. The girl had a ways to go before she'd catch up to him. She'd get there one day though, he was sure of it. Probably sooner than even he would have predicted.

"Better, Princess?" he chuckled.

With another huff, she leapt back and out of his grasp. Putting several steps between them, she glared at him through her mussed up bangs. He answered by sticking his tongue out at her. Smoothing her hair out a bit, she said, "Still haven't answered my question. What's got you so distracted?" She squinted at him, then a sly smirk tugged at her lips. "Oh, I see… fantasizing about a certain lovely pair of eyes you left behind in Radiant Garden? Blue and… _icy?_"

He blinked. "Wha-?" Then it clicked and he scoffed, turning his head to one side. "You mean the snow queen? Please. You are way off. Like way, _way_ off. Miles off, even. In fact, you're not even in the same solar system anymore."

"You sure?" She tipped her head to one side, humming a soft giggle. "Coulda sworn I spied a little twinkle in your eye when you talked about her."

His left eye twitched. "There wasn't anything even _remotely_ resembling a twinkle." Jeeze, lay off, will ya? This was already bad enough, and he hadn't even mentioned the part about barging in on Her Royal Frostiness in the shower. If that ever got out, Kairi would have never let him live it down.

"Fine, fine, I'll drop it. But something's eating at you. What is it?" She frowned, studying him for a minute. "Is it about those dreams you've been having?"

His head rocked back at that. How did she-?

"It is!" she crowed triumphantly, running up to him. "What is it? Did you have another one? Did you remember it this time?"

Psh, lucky guess. What a pest. Shooing her off with a flick of his hand and looking away, he said, "Buzz off, none of your beeswax."

She gasped, shifting to look him in the eyes again. "You _did!_ Wanna talk about it?"

Criminy, woman, did he look like he wanted to talk about it? Scowling, he dismissed his keyblade and crossed his arms. "Nah. You wouldn't be able to help me anyway." His back stiffened suddenly as a thought struck him. Then he tapped the side of his fist into his palm. "But I can think of a few someones who just might be able to." With that, he jogged over towards where he'd left his coat.

"What are you doing?" Kairi called after him, arching an eyebrow as she rested her keyblade against one shoulder.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" He snatched up the garment and was already slipping one arm into it.

Her brow furrowed. "...putting your cloak back on?" There was a pause. Then, "Wait…" she stared at him hard, the gears visibly turning in her mind. At last, she breathed in sharply. "You're not thinking of using the Corridors of Darkness, are you?! You're crazy!"

"Oh, without a doubt," he deadpanned, shoving his other arm down the second sleeve.

She shook her head. "You know King Mickey hates you using those things! How do you even know it'll work in a place like this?"

He held up a finger, "Only one way to find out."

She made a noise of disgust in her throat. "I'm surprised Merlin never confiscated that coat from you."

"Hey, preaching to the choir, sister."

"And just where do you think you're skipping off to anyway?"

Instead of giving her an answer, he just held a finger up to his lips and winked.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Merlin's gonna kill you when he finds out, you know."

Zipping the cloak up, he smirked. "He wouldn't do that. Old guy loves me too much."

"Straight. Up. Murder. You," she slowly enunciated every word, giving him a dull stare.

His grin stretched wider. "He'll have to catch me first. See ya!" And with a two fingered salute, he vanished into a dark portal.

* * *

"...so let me make sure I fully understand. There is this person."

"Uh huh."

"A teenage girl, to be precise."

"Yup."

"That you saw wearing an Organization XIII coat."

"You're on a roll here."

"...in a dream you had."

"Bingo."

"And you're asking me… if I know her?"

Axel beamed. "By jove, I think he's got it."

Ienzo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "You're a buffoon."

Axel snorted and shrugged. "Got me there. So does it ring any bells or not?"

"Go away, my time is important, I can't waste it on your inanity," he waved a hand dismissively, turning his attention back to the large computer screen before him, his fingers returning to furiously typing away at the keyboard. The two former Nobodies were currently in one of the hundreds upon hundreds of rooms that comprised the immense castle of Radiant Garden. This room in particular was a mess, with papers and open books strewn about everywhere. There wasn't even so much as an inch of table space to speak of. Green unintelligible text kept flashing across Ienzo's screen and then disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. Axel had to wonder how Ienzo kept up with it all. "I've been working on deciphering Ansem's Code for days now. Still haven't cracked it, but I'm getting close, I can feel it."

"But this is important too!" Axel argued, slamming a hand down on the table, nearly knocking one of the stacks of tomes over. He quickly steadied it before it toppled, shooting the now glowering Ienzo an apologetic grin. "Come on, answer the question."

He let out a long, drawn out sigh and stopped typing. He didn't reply right away however, instead picking up a nearby piece of paper, his eyes quickly scanning the messy writing scrawled all over it before his gaze darted back and forth a couple times between it and his screen. Just when Axel thought he wasn't going to get a response at all, Ienzo muttered, "What does dream-girl look like?"

Visibly perking up, he raised his hand parallel to the ground, stopping it close to the base of his rib cage. "About yeigh high with black, chin-length hair."

He stared at him, silence stretching. "...and?"

"And…" he echoed uncertainly with a frown, "...please and thank you?"

His eyelids drooped. "No," he said flatly, slipping the document back between the pages of the book he had found it in. Grabbing the book, he rose from his computer chair and walked over to a shelf on the other side of the room. "Don't you have any other identifying features? Face? Eye color? Beauty marks? Nose shape?"

Axel opened his mouth, but then blinked and snapped it shut, brow furrowed. "...nose shape?" Shaking his head, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually don't know any of that. I kind of, sort of… didn't see her face."

Pausing, Ienzo gave him a blank look with the eye that wasn't hidden beneath long bangs. Once again, silence reigned. Finally, pulling two books off the shelf to accompany the one he was already carrying and tucking them all under one arm, he walked past Axel and out the door into the hallway, saying over his shoulder, "I can't help you."

"Oh, c'mon," he shot back, running after him to catch up and fall in step beside him. "You gotta give me something!"

"I don't know what you expect me to say. That's not a lot of information to go on. Besides, you were in the Organization same as me." He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as they walked along. "Do _you_ remember any mysterious fourteenth member?"

"Well, no…"

"Precisely. We were called Organization XIII for a reason."

He growled in agitation, his fingers scratching a spot behind his ear. "I dunno. You were a member longer than I was. Could have been someone before my time and didn't last long. Became Heartless chow day two on the job or something."

"I don't recall anyone like that, but then, I was very young when it all began. They kept me out of the loop on a lot of things back then. Maybe you'd have better luck asking Aeleus."

"Been there, done that." His face twisted sourly. "He was even less helpful than you, believe it or not. Hardly got two words out of the big boulder."

For the first time in their conversation, Ienzo cracked a smile, tiny though it was. He was quick to hide it behind his hand. "Then perhaps Dilan could shed some light on this."

"Tch," his lip curled slightly and he scuffed the sole of his boot against the floor as he walked. "Already tried. The ol' windbag blew me off." He shrugged before Interlocking his fingers behind his head. "What about Even? I've searched this place top to bottom but have yet to ferret out his hiding spot. Where's that nerd holing up these days?"

His footsteps came to an abrupt stop. "...you haven't heard?"

One crimson eyebrow quirked up. "Heard what?"

He looked down. "No, I suppose you wouldn't have. I imagine not much news reaches you at those enchanted training grounds Merlin whisked you off to," he muttered before resuming his swift stride. "He's gone missing."

"He's _what?!"_ Now it was Axel's turn for his step to stutter. "How do you go about misplacing a whole frigging scientist?!"

Ienzo rolled his eyes as he turned into another room. Stacked high with more books and documents, it was practically identical to the one they had left behind. If Axel hadn't known any better, he'd almost have the sneaking suspicion Ienzo had just led him in a large circle, possibly in an attempt to lose him. Setting the books down, Ienzo said, "He disappeared shortly after we all awoke as Somebodies once more. We believe he's back with the Organization and continuing his work with the replicas."

"Up to his old tricks again, huh?" A tiny scowl curved Axel's lips. "Shoulda known. Sounds exactly like something that cold hearted jerkface might do. It was always all about his precious research for him, no matter what the cost."

"Let's not be so hasty to jump to conclusions." He looked from one pile of books to the next, reading the spines closely. "It's possible he's been kidnapped and is being forced to help them under duress."

He harrumphed. "Not exactly holding my breath there."

Apparently having located what he was looking for, Ienzo gently pulled a volume from the heap, careful not to overturn the rest. Grabbing one of the books he'd brought with him, he opened it to a bookmarked page before setting it down. He then placed the new book beside it and began thumbing through it rapidly. "Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance. But sometimes a dream is just a dream, nothing more."

"Sometimes," Axel folded his arms beneath his chest. "But this just doesn't feel like one of those times."

"Very well. Enjoy your fool's errand. I've let you squander enough of my valuable time." Apparently landing on the page he was looking for, Ienzo pressed an index finger to one sentence, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two books. Absently waving his free hand over his shoulder, he added, "I trust you'll see yourself out."

Why, Axel did believe he had been dismissed.

With a wry snort, he turned and walked away. "Nice chatting with you too," he muttered under his breath as he slipped out the door.

* * *

Dead ends. That's all today had been. Just one right after the other.

Ienzo? Dead end. Aeleus and Dilan? Dead ends. Even? The _deadest_ of ends. Even if the evil genius hadn't flown the coop, Axel suspected he'd only have given the same answer he'd gotten from the other three. Nothing but dead ends. Dead ends as far as the eye could see.

And where was it that Axel could be found at this precise moment? Why, at a dead end, of course! When he had left the castle, he had just took to aimlessly wandering the streets of Radiant Garden. His meandering had eventually brought him here where he had just propped a shoulder against a wall, kicked pebbles, and thought.

Perhaps Ienzo had been right. Sometimes a dream was just a dream, and this had all just been some wild goose chase. This girl probably _was_ just a figment of his imagination. A product of his sleeping mind throwing random ideas at the walls of his brain to see what stuck. She wasn't real.

...but then, why did it feel so wrong thinking that?

She _felt _real, whoever she was. Like a childhood buddy he hadn't seen in decades. Like a memory he had lost. A face still wasn't coming to mind. Not even a name. Apparently, if his dream was to be believed, they had been friends. Best friends, even. With Roxas too. But that couldn't be right… could it? He sighed heavily through his nose. Too bad he couldn't talk to Roxas about it.

His stomach gave an abrupt gurgle. Placing a hand over it, he recalled he'd skipped lunch. High time he got some snackage. Besides, what use was thinking so hard on an empty stomach? No wonder he was stumped. Once he got some food in him, surely that'd give his brain the jumpstart it desperately needed. And he had just the place in mind too, one that was sure to hit the spot.

Glancing up at the sky, he frowned, noting that the sun was beginning to set. It was getting late. The place might have been closed already. But sometimes they stayed open after hours for a little bit, especially on the hot days. Lots of customers, good for business. It was worth a check. Pushing himself off the wall, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started to head that way.

Axel didn't have to walk far, just a few blocks over. He grinned on seeing their sign was still lit up and some movement beyond the fogged glass of the window. Pushing through the door, he called, "Yo, Mr. McD, I need a metric ton of sea salt ice cream, stat. It's been one hell of a-"

He froze mid-step, blinking a couple times in surprise. For the individual standing on the other side of the counter was not sporting the feathers, bill, and webbed feet that he had expected to see. No, instead the person that greeted his sight was fair skinned with a pale blonde braid and a very familiar pair of icy blue eyes.

* * *

_**A/N:** Ahhhhhh, at last those dreams of a certain black haired girl that I mentioned so long ago in my summary start to come into play xD About damn time, huh? Ienzo makes an appearance this chapter too, wheeee! He was such a sweetheart in KH3, but we never saw him interact with Axel - I feel like if we had, he would have had just as little patience for the redhead as I made him have here, especially given that he's distracting him while he's trying to get some damn work done xD And the two stars of this lil fic come crashing back together once more! How will their second (or... third...ish?) meeting go? Only time (and the next chapter) will tell!_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the wonderful and fantabulous **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being amazing betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **ScarletEmperor**, **Mad Oni**, **IanAlphaAxel**, **Spiderfan626**, **SoraKairiRikuNamine, **and __**Daughter of Kyne**__ for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, buckets upon buckets of tears over here. You all make my heart soar, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: This chapter fell victim to what is in my opinion the most tragic casualty by far from my revisions. After visiting Ienzo, I originally had a scene where Axel dropped in on Even too - this was of course written before KH3 came out and Even decided to go off and do a silly thing like rejoining the Organization. Yeah yeah, he had his reasons, blah blah blah xD But before KH3, last we'd heard of Even was in DDD and Ienzo (or was it Aeleus? one of the two) said Even was still unstable. In the original version of this chapter, I decided to take that one step further and Even had at last awoken, but he was seriously a few screws short of a hardware store xD Since he'd basically been Xion's creator, I'd decided to have a bit of fun with that - basically he couldn't remember Xion anymore, but he was kind of, sort of remembering... AROUND her, if that makes sense? He kept saying vague cryptic things, stuff that the reader would hopefully be like "oh yeah, that's about Xion" but to other characters not in the know, just sounded like the ramblings of a madman. It was a short scene, but I was rather fond of it and it broke my heart to cut it. But alas, it no longer fit with KH3 canon, so to the trash it was tossed!_

_Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and keep it real!_


	8. Chapter 8

So there she was. Her Grand High Frostiness herself. Behind the cash register of his favorite ice cream shop. Said register laid open, her hands filled with moolah from it.

...what the hell had he just walked in on?

She stood there staring at Axel, eyes wide, frozen like a deer caught in the headlights. He just stared back at her, not saying a word for several seconds. Then his gaze shifted to the munny held tightly within her grip, before flicking back up to her face. More staring.

Finally, he broke the silence with, "...are you _robbing_ the place?"

"Wha-?!" she began, head jerking back a bit before rapidly shaking it. "No! Of course not. Don't be absurd!"

"That's what it looks like," he nodded towards the cash.

She twitched, seemingly having forgotten what she held in her very hands. "What, this?" She shoved the munny back into the register drawer. "You misunderstand, I just-"

"Just what? Hm?" he demanded, slapping a hand against the counter and leaning down towards her, narrowing his eyes. "Why are you here and what'd you do with the duck, lady?"

She stumbled a step back, anxious eyes darting to the left. "N-nothing, I-" she cut herself off, an obstinate gleam suddenly entering her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she lifted her chin a fraction and squared her shoulders, returning his glare with one of her own. "Actually, I don't have to tell you anything. I don't answer to you, and this is none of your concern."

"Actually, it is. Especially when you come into my town and try to steal." He straightened up once more, mouth set into a grim line. "So. This is the thanks we get for trying to help you. Huh. Would have expected better from royalty. If that's even what you really are."

Her back stiffened. "How dare you. I will not be treated in such a manner." Crossing her arms, she snapped, "Please go away."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere," he smirked as the air around him started to spark with embers. "In fact, I think we might just have to finish what we started yesterday, Snowflake."

Blue eyes flashed dangerously. "Very well," she said softly, the temperature around her dropping by several degrees. "If we must."

Grin twitching wider, he threw a hand out to one side, flames flickering to life and swirling within his palm. "Don't be thinking I'll go so easy on you this-"

"Ah, Axel!" a cheerful voice cut him off. He flinched, looking past her to see Scrooge McDuck standing in the doorway leading to the back room, smiling at him. "I thought that was you I heard, lad. I see you've had the pleasure of meeting my lovely new employee."

"...employee?" he echoed, blinking. Extinguishing the fireball in his hand with a flick of his wrist, he looked at her again, quirking an eyebrow. "You work here?"

Her posture still rigid, she eyed him with a frown, as if not fully sure it was okay to let her guard down yet. "Well… I don't officially start until tomorrow, but yes." Closing the register, she added, "At Mr. McDuck's request, I was just familiarizing myself with the local currency, as it is very different from my own."

Axel gave her a blank look. "_You_," he pointed at her, "...work _here_," he pointed down at the tiled floor.

Her brow furrowed as he repeated his words. "Uh… yes?"

He continued to stare at her, expression unreadable for a few heartbeats. Then all of a sudden, he burst out into a roar of laughter that startled her. "You… You…" he tried, but was struggling to get anything out between his snickers. Clutching at his gut and banging his fist against the countertop a couple times, he finally managed to wheeze out, "Oh, this is too much!"

"I fail to see what's so funny," Elsa huffed, exchanging a bewildered glance with her new boss.

"You would, wouldn't you?" he asked, fighting back his giggles. "She who is used to being waited upon shall now wait upon others. Boy oh boy, you? Working customer service? Menial labor?" He sobered long enough to sweep a hand out in a mock bow. "Her Grace, Her Majesty, selling ice cream to us lowly commoners. Talk about Dairy Queen." Unable to maintain the straight face, he broke down cackling again.

"I don't know what that means," she grumbled, before turning back to Mr. McDuck. "I'm sorry, but why is he even in here? I thought the store had closed for the evening."

"Not if there is munny to be made," the duck replied. "Axel here is one of our best customers."

"And the customer is always right," the redhead added smugly.

She rolled her eyes. "I highly doubt that, especially where you're concerned."

"Now that's hardly service with a smile."

Lips stretching into a cherubic grin that didn't quite reach her eyes, she leaned over the counter, pointed at the door leading back out into the street and said with a forced sugary sweetness, "Leave. Now."

"Simmer down, lass, the boy has a point," Scrooge interjected.

"Thank you," Axel sing-songed, causing Elsa to narrow her eyes at him.

"The customer is indeed always right," Scrooge intoned, emphasizing each word with a jab of his finger into the air. "If you're going to be working for me, you're going to have to be keeping that in mind. Customer satisfaction is our highest priority here, and that means doing your absolute best to keep them happy." He paused for a moment, tapping his beak thoughtfully. "And I do believe we've been presented with an opportunity here. A wee test run, if ye will. Axel can be your first customer."

Elsa grimaced and asked, "Seriously?"

"Dead serious. Now go on, lass. Consider it practice for tomorrow."

With a sigh, she stepped up to the register, meeting Axel's gaze across the counter. He smirked at her and waited.

Oh, was he going to have some fun with this.

Scrooge cleared his throat and when she looked at her boss, he crooked a finger at her. She bent down, nearly having to crouch all the way to the floor to get close enough so the duck could whisper something in her ear. Nodding, she straightened up once more, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Scrooge gestured for her to start and, taking a deep breath, she smiled. "Welcome to Uncle Scrooge's Ice Creamery. How may I help you?"

"Yes, I'd like some ice cream."

She eyed the cash register uncertainly. "Sea salt ice cream, right?" she asked, her fingers hovering over the buttons as she looked for the label that matched that flavor.

"Um, excuse me?" Axel looked aghast, clasping a hand over his chest. "How dare you presume to know what I want!"

She blinked. "But- When you came in, you said-" she was silenced by Mr. McDuck clearing his throat again, giving her a pointed look. Her lips twisted sourly before she plastered the smile back on. "My mistake, _Sir_, I'm so sorry. Please, let me know what you would like."

He looked up at the menu overhead, emitting a low hum as he considered his options. "Not sure. What would you suggest?"

"...may I recommend the sea salt ice cream," she deadpanned.

One hand raised to cover his mouth, hiding his grin. She probably thought he'd made his joke and was done. "That does sound good, but I just dunno. What else you got?"

Little did she know he was just getting warmed up.

Her eyelids drooped at him before she was once again squinting down at the buttons listing the flavors. "There's chocolate, rock crunch, cookie dough, mint chocolate chip…"

"Sure, sure, keep going."

"...queen berry, rainbow sherbet, vanilla…" she trailed off, looking to him again. He twirled his finger, indicating for her to continue. She shot him a dirty look and said flatly, "You're going to make me list all seventy-two flavors, aren't you?"

Scrooge lightly jabbed her in the foot with his cane, making her wince. Axel bat his eyes at her, smiling expectantly. Inhaling and exhaling slowly, she slipped on the chipper mask once more.

And so she did it. She read out each and every single flavor.

"...spark lemon, and last, but certainly not least, banana peanut butter chunk," she finally finished, pausing a second to catch her breath after all that. "So, did any of those options interest you?"

He pursed his lips, tapping a knuckle to his chin. "Hmm. I think I'll go for… what was it again? The… sea salt ice cream?"

She gave him a dull stare. "...the one you said you wanted when you first walked in? The one I suggested? Before listing all the others? Would _that_ be the flavor you mean?"

"Yes," he chirped.

Her hands were squeezing the edge of the countertop, hints of frost shimmering just beneath her fingertips. "Of course, Sir. Right away, Sir," she ground out through her teeth, relaxing her grip and pressing the appropriate button on the cash register. Then reaching beneath the counter to where a freezer was kept of the various frozen goods for sale, she pulled out a bar of the requested ice cream and offered it to him. He took it and as he gave it a lick, she eyed the total on the register and began, "Okay, that'll be-"

"Not so fast!" he raised a finger, cutting her words off. Holding the ice cream bar back out to her, he said, "It's cold."

She blinked once. Then twice. Her eyes darted from him to the sugary dessert and back a couple times. "...it's ice cream."

"Yeah, but it's like… _too_ cold. Your freezer must be on too high. I want a new one." He pointed at the door Scrooge had entered through a few moments ago, "I want one from the back."

The look Elsa gave him screamed that she was one hundred and fifty percent done with him. She turned her gaze to her boss, silently asking if she really had to. Scrooge nodded and gestured to the same door. Axel muffled a snigger behind his hand as he watched her release a sigh through her nose before disappearing into the back.

"So, Mr. McD," he beamed while waiting for her to come back, giving the supposedly too cold bar of ice cream a second lick. "Sweet new digs you got here for your little business. You liking it? Gotta beat that hole in the wall you used to have. I hear you just got a new little bistro up and running back at Twilight Town too. How's tha-"

"Wipe that moronic smile off your face, ye dunderhead," the duck snapped.

Axel's head rocked back at that, said moronic smile swiftly vanishing. "What? I'm just doing what you asked me to."

He shook his head, "Aye, but ye dinnae have to look so pleased with yourself about it."

She returned, stretching an arm out to Axel, second ice cream in hand. "Here you go, Sir. I hope this one is more to your liking."

He accepted it with his free hand, pressing his tongue to it before quickly pulling back, expression scrunching up in distaste. "Nope, nope, nope," he said lightly, thrusting it back towards her face, "This won't do. Won't do at all."

Taking it back, she frowned. "_Now_ what's wrong with it?"

He shrugged. "Too warm."

A faint crackling and popping sound abruptly began and if one were to glance towards her hand, one would see ice beginning to crystalize on the stick held between her fingers. It crept upward and encased the ice cream in a jagged, chilly shell. Oh, but her eyes. Her eyes in that exact second gave whole new meaning to the phrase _if looks could kill_.

Snowflake was not amused.

Snowflake was approximately three-point-two seconds away from turning him into a giant, frozen mansicle.

A tiny wicked grin tugged at her lips as she once more offered him the ice cream, emphasis now on the ice. "Are you sure about that?" she asked, a deadly calm to her voice, an unspoken challenge heavy in the air, daring him to complain one more time. "Maybe you should give it another try."

A smart man would have stopped there. A smart man would have decided now would be a swell time to cease with the proverbial button pushing. A smart man would have taken the jumbo ice cube on a stick, paid for it with a hefty tip on top, feigned delight at just how delicious it was, and then made a hasty exit.

Eh… being smart was overrated.

Axel opened his mouth.

But apparently the universe wanted him to live.

The front door suddenly banged open, its bell chiming loudly, and in stumbled a very familiar, self-proclaimed great ninja. "Elsa!"

The blonde's eyes widened. "Yuffie?"

"I thought that was you I saw on the other side of the window," she panted. It seemed she had been in a rush. "So, um… did ya maybe lose something?"

Her head tipped to one side, brow furrowing. "Did I…? What are you-"

"Like, I dunno, say… a whopping king-sized snowman rampaging throughout the city?"

...king-sized snowman?

She gasped. "Marshmallow!"

...oh.

Oh crud.

He had forgotten all about Frosty.

Oops.

Without another word, Elsa was running out from behind the counter. Axel let out a surprised choking noise as she shoved the hypothermic dessert into his mouth while dashing past him, not slowing down for a second before charging out the door.

Yuffie began to follow, but stopped halfway through the door, cocking an eyebrow back at Axel. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you, Red?"

He cleared his throat and gave a weak chuckle as he pulled the ice cream out of his mouth. Or tried to anyway. However, it turned out his tongue was stuck to its icy shell like super glue. "Ah… a few tiny details may have slipped my mind…" was the reply he attempted to make. It however came out all jumbled and unintelligible as he tried to talk around his tongue while the ice cream was still cemented to it.

Whether she understood him or not, she just shook her head and darted out of the shop. Axel made to move as well, but was stopped short by a loud, "Ahem." He looked to the source, finding Mr. McDuck smirking up at him, making no attempts to hide his amusement at his little predicament. He held out one hand. "That'll be twenty munny, lad. Each," he tacked on the last word, using his other hand to point at both bars of ice cream now in Axel's possession.

Using his innate powers to course some heat through his veins and into his tongue, he managed to free it from the infernal dessert. Then smacking his lips and eyes crinkling, he said, "Put it on my tab." With that, he took off sprinting after the other two.

Okay. Maybe he had been a total pain with a capital P back there and taken his lil game too far. But you had to admit it was pretty funny. Someone like her? Working at an _ice cream parlor_? Her, who was probably used to having everything handed to her on a silver platter and never having to lift a finger to do a damn thing? Having to deal with screaming kids and grumpy parents making demands on her all day? Wow, was she about to get a rude awakening to how the other half lived. He made a mental note to drop by Radiant Garden more often now. He wanted a front row seat to this spectacle and didn't want to miss one moment of it, not even one second!

The ladies were long gone, but it wasn't hard to figure out where they had ran off to. Not when he heard a booming roar reverberating off the buildings from what sounded to be only a few blocks over. Turning his head in the direction it had come from, he spotted chunks of snow flying just beyond the rooftops. It was all he needed before his feet were pounding against the cobblestones as he raced off towards it.

It was only a few turns down some alleys before he was skidding to a stop once again, wide eyes taking in the scene before him. The open plaza was blanketed in cool white powder. Leon, gunblade in hand, was rushing forward to meet a very familiar abominable snowman head on. Frosty was ready for the fight, glacial spikes and claws out as it released another ground shaking bellow. Brandishing her lethal metal stars, Yuffie was running in a few steps behind her fellow committee member. And just a few more paces in front of Axel, watching from the outskirts of the fight with jaw slack and eyes unblinking was Snowflake.

As Axel moved to stand beside her, he watched his breath slightly fog the air. It was cold, but not as cold as when Snowflake herself had been running amok. In particular, that meant that Radiant Garden's defense systems weren't frozen completely solid like they had been the day before. Claymores were randomly popping up and zapping at Frosty's feet, but they may as well have been just a cute little kiddy light show for all the good they were doing. The things were designed for taking out Heartless, not giant, angry constructs of snow brought to life by magic.

He watched Leon close the distance between himself and the monster. As soon as he was within arm's length, Frosty took a swipe at him, which the swordsman avoided by dropping into a roll. He was not as quick on his feet when he came back up, however - not quick enough anyway to dodge the same hand swooping back in from the other direction and grabbing him, engulfing his body from torso to knees. Leon struggled and kicked his feet as he was lifted up and brought face to face with the snarling snow beast.

"Stop," a soft whisper could be heard off to Axel's right. It had come from Elsa, who seemed to have uttered the word without even realizing it as she still just stood there stricken, watching the scene unfold.

_Thud. Thud._

Frosty flinched as a couple of shurikens sunk into the side of its head, which was enough to distract it from Leon. It twisted around to narrow its hollow gaze at Yuffie as she leapt at it, one arm crossed over her chest, preparing to fling several more stars she had nestled between her knuckles. The big fellah lashed its free hand out to catch her, but she vanished in a puff of smoke before its chilly fingers could make contact. Its face contorted in confusion as it looked around trying to see where she'd gone.

"Over here, you overgrown snowcone!"

It twitched at her yell before whirling its head around to discover her perched on its shoulder. With a few flicks of her wrists, more shurikens flew, embedding themselves into the side of its head opposite of the first volley. Then she delivered a roundhouse kick to the back of its head, forcing a deep, rumbling "Ow!" from the big brute.

Elsa was slowly shaking her head and, more loudly this time but only just, she repeated, "...stop…"

Frosty swung a hand towards Yuffie, who backflipped out of the way just in time and it only managed to smack its own shoulder. It began to turn to look for her once more. What it failed to notice was that a large red spot had begun to glow on its hand that still held Leon and was growing brighter by the second.

Abruptly, a fireball exploded forth from that spot, causing Frosty to lose a couple fingers and cry out as it released its prisoner. As Leon began to fall, he flourished his gunblade, causing it to flare up with a prismatic light, before growing several feet longer. He swung the weapon low and arced it back around in an upper slash that cut Frosty's hand clean off. His feet hitting the ground, Leon hopped back a couple times before halting in a defensive stance, pointing the gunblade at his foe.

The snowman staggered backwards a few steps itself, raising the stump of an arm that remained to inspect it. A gentle shimmer danced on the empty wrist before a new hand erupted from it identical to the one that had been lost. Flexing its frozen fingers, it glared at Leon off to the left, whose face hardened as their gazes met. Then Frosty swiveled its head to the right where Yuffie now stood, crouched low to the ground, a giant chromatic shuriken held within her grasp and poised to strike.

The wintry colossus released an irritated huff before inhaling deeply and unleashing another earsplitting roar. As if it were the bang of a starting pistol, both Leon and Yuffie charged at the beast from opposite directions.

They weren't the only ones. Elsa bolted off into the middle of the fray as well and by the time Axel realized it, she was already too far ahead of him to stop her. She ran directly towards Frosty, pulling up short in front of him.

"I said _STOP!_" she yelled, throwing out her hands to either side of her, misty blue beams flying from her fingertips in both directions. They both struck the ground, one in Leon's path, the other inches from Yuffie's toes. Humongous, craggy ice walls shot up high, blocking their ways and forcing them to slide to a halt.

Frosty went very still as well, eye sockets growing round as they finally landed on her. It squatted down on its haunches to look at her more closely, its mouth relaxing into an uncertain line as its spikes gradually began to retract back into its body. Elsa stretched a tentative hand up, reaching for its face. A quiet fell over the square.

So quiet, it was impossible to miss the _click_ of Leon cocking his gunblade.

The abrupt noise shattered the spell, sending Frosty back into a rage. It leapt back up to its full, towering height, putting itself between Snowflake and Leon, spikes popping out once more as it released another thunderous bellow.

"Wait! No, stop! Please!" Elsa cried, scrambling to get in front of it again, holding her hands up to Leon. "I swear, he won't cause any more trouble!"

He kept his weapon pointed at the creature, not taking his eyes off it as he scowled. "What is it doing here?" he demanded.

"I conjured him during my fight with Axel. When I came to after being knocked out, I didn't realize he was still here." At her hasty explanation, Leon's eyes shifted to narrow at Axel. The redhead chuckled nervously and shrugged. Yuffie facepalmed.

So what if he forgot to mention the big ol' yeti he'd left behind after yesterday's showdown? No big deal, right? Scarface needed to take a chill pill.

Elsa went on, "But now that I know, I can take care of it. Right here, right now. Just… give me a minute… please..."

Bringing his gaze back to her, Leon frowned and said nothing. A few tense seconds passed before he gave a curt nod, lowering his weapon, though not all the way.

"Thank you," she sighed in relief, turning back to the big fellah. Its attention was drawn elsewhere however. Apparently, it had only just now become aware of Axel's presence. And if the way its eye sockets had shrunk down to slits or the low growl rumbling from within its chest were any indicators, it remembered him. And it wasn't a fond memory.

"Marshmallow," she called up to it. The growling immediately subsided, the features of its face softening as it looked back down at her. She again extended a hand up towards it. It hesitated for a mere heartbeat before once again crouching down and pushing its cheek into her palm. Then it leaned into it even further, nuzzling against her skin.

Like some puppy that was too big for its own good.

She smiled up at it, lifting her other hand to place on its opposite cheek so that she held its face. "Now… you're going to take a nap," she murmured gently. "Only for a little bit though. I'll wake you back up soon, I promise. Okay?"

It nodded its massive head, before it responded in a deep, resounding voice, "Good night."

"Good night," she answered before closing her eyes, seemingly to concentrate. The snowman's form began to sparkle as hazy blue wisps of magic swirled around it. One minute Frosty was there. The next, he was gone, leaving only the shurikens behind as they clattered to the ground.

She had dispelled the big guy.

But that little disappearing act wasn't where Axel's focus had been pulled to. No, he had been distracted by Snowflake. More specifically, the smile she had been giving the leviathan. He had seen her smile before, but not like this. This one was… different. There was a light to it, a purity, a… warmth. And something else that he couldn't quite pin down.

His heart gave a tiny lurch, causing his spine to go rigid in surprise. He lifted a hand, tracing a finger over where he had felt the odd sensation.

Huh. What had that been about?

Probably just another sign that his heart didn't come back entirely right. That it didn't quite fit.

Though his face was acting kind of weird at the moment too. It felt sort of warm with a slight tingle, though he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

Maybe he was just coming down with a cold.

Yeah. That must be it.

* * *

_**A/N:** Oof, our couple is off to a bit of a rocky start, aren't they? And they still have quite a bumpy road ahead of them yet before things start smoothing out between them! Don't worry, they'll start getting along... eventually... after I have a lil more fun with them xD And oops, looks like someone forgot to bring up the fact that there was still a giant abominable snowman lurking about. How did it go unnoticed until now? Don't forget, it's hardly been over 24 hours since Elsa showed up in Radiant Garden (and we're already on chapter 8, yeesh, I need to start picking up the pace here!) and Elsa's blizzard from the day before didn't just vanish, but has been receding slowly. The committee didn't decide to delve too deeply into the winter wonderland until just now, and if you'll recall from the movie, Marshmallow is pretty good as hiding in plain sight if he has a snowy tundra to work with, cuz he can just curl up and look like a giant pile of snow. I'd hate to be whoever the poor sod was that poked the wrong snow mound and discovered that terrifying surprise xD_

_Once again, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the stupendous and extraordinary **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being fantastic betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Spiderfan626**, **Daughter of Kyne**, **SoraKairiRikuNamine**, and **ScarletEmperor** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me! You're all such beautiful souls, I'm not worthy!_

_Unfortunately no real fun factoids to share about this chapter. Out of all the chapters I had pre-written, I think this one required the least revisions. Possibly just adding that one sentence about Twilight Town may have been it xD Sorry guys, not all chapters can have fun behind the scene things to talk about, but I do so love talking about them, given half the chance!_

_Anyhoozle, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love and peace out!_


	9. Chapter 9

She wondered where Marshmallow had been sent when she had wished him away.

To be honest, Elsa didn't really know.

It's not like he was just _gone_, completely erased from existence or anything like that. He was a part of her and even though he had a mind of his own, they still shared a link of some sort, an… awareness, for lack of a better word. She could still sense him, could still bring him back at the snap of a finger, should she so choose. He lived on in some form or another, of this she was certain.

As certain as she was that this had been the very same Marshmallow that had existed back on Arendelle. Not a clone or imitation of the original. She had conjured Marshmallow himself to her defense during the fight against Axel.

That knowledge raised so many questions in her mind… such as, could she do the same with Olaf? Summon him to her side? If she were to do so, would he be able to give her news of Anna and her whereabouts? Even if he did have the information she so desperately sought, _should_ she bring him here? If he was currently with Anna and helping her in some way, Elsa wouldn't want to take that aid away from her sister. She wasn't sure if she'd know how to send him back. She wasn't even sure she _could _send him back.

It all came back to how little she knew of her own powers, despite having them all her life. Thank goodness her training with Merlin had begun. With his help, perhaps as she learned to better control her abilities, she'd develop an understanding that would help her deduce answers to these very questions that plagued her mind.

It had now been a couple days since her first session with the old wizard. It had mostly been answering his queries about her history and experience with her powers, as well as him asking her to perform various feats using her ice magic so he could test her limits and assess the full extent of her capabilities. A good place to start, to be sure. However, the days that followed had been filled with exercises that felt rather pointless to her.

Take now, for example. She sat on a stool at the table in the middle of Merlin's home. The current assignment involved conjuring her magic in the form of snowflakes interconnected across the tabletop while constantly shaping and reshaping them, so that their intricate designs were ever changing.

Simple enough… but the catch? She had to do it completely devoid of emotion.

Admittedly, it was a little more difficult than she had expected. Clearing her mind and heart of everything was the easy part. Conceal, don't feel. It was a mantra she had been practicing all her life. But it had always been to stop her powers. Never before had she _willingly_ called upon her magic while trying not to feel anything at all. And she was discovering that this exercise, while far from impossible, was a bit of a struggle. It was hard to put the sensation into words but if she were to try, she'd say wielding her powers normally was akin to running like the wind, free and unrestrained… whereas using them like this, empty of her emotions, was more akin to slogging her way through waist-deep mud.

It was interesting to learn, but ultimately a waste of time as far as she was concerned. She had asked for Merlin's help so that she could better contain and restrict her ability, not give it more opportunity to go on a rampage. She should consider herself lucky it only seemed to run wild if an emotion got the better of her. How unfortunate it would be if her magic could have free rein when she was feeling nothing at all.

Elsa glanced towards the sorcerer out of the corner of her eye. Merlin had seated himself at the table with her, but after charging her with her task for this lesson, had picked up a book and was now fully engrossed in reading it. It seemed he had decided that his work here was done, at least for the moment. He hadn't even enlightened her on what exactly this little chore was supposed to teach her. She wondered if he even knew. Perhaps she was supposed to figure it out for herself. Or perhaps it was just busy work.

Her eyes shifted over slightly further towards Cid on the other side of the room, once again seated at that computer contraption of his. She was beginning to think the chair on which he perched was an extension of his body, for she never saw him leave his post there. Sadly, that odd device at which he typed had yet to locate her kingdom or her sister. She was told to be patient and to give it more time, it had only been a few short days and they had the whole cosmos to sift through. Logically, that made sense to her. But it did nothing to ease her worries and fears and the clawing need to be doing _something_ to help in the search. Being told to sit idly by while others looked for her sister was driving her crazy, and it didn't help that there had been no word from Sora yet either. Luckily, she was very good at suppressing her emotions.

With a barely contained sigh, she directed her gaze back to the snowflakes sprawled across the wooden surface before her. She supposed, when it came right down to it, these sessions with Merlin helped. Even if some of the exercises did seem quite useless, they at least served as a distraction from her restless thoughts. Inhaling slowly, she banished her feelings and raised her hands, pointing her fingertips at the ice once more and focusing.

With a low crackle, the ice began to dance and bend to her will, curving and splitting apart here, looping and merging back together there. Abstract, frozen images would emerge suddenly and vanish just as quickly, replaced with new and entirely different forms. She let herself get lost in those pictures as it helped her maintain her meditative state. That image in the ice over there looked kind of like a castle. And this one here made sort of a face. The one next to it-

"Whatcha doing?"

The low voice _right_ next to her ear startled a gasp out of her. She reflexively spun around in her seat to face it, hands still raised, a cold blast leaping from her fingers before she even realized it. The magic struck the owner of the voice square in the face and coated it in a thick layer of frost, causing him to stumble back in surprise. Finally recognizing her ambusher - the bright red hair being a dead give away - she relaxed slightly, puffing out a breath and resting a hand over her racing heart.

Already calling upon his own powers to melt the frost, Axel used a sleeve to wipe some away from his mouth, grumbling, "Jeeze, hasn't anyone ever told you it's not nice to surprise someone with a face full of ice?"

She crossed her arms as she narrowed her eyes up at him from her seat. " And hasn't anyone ever told you not to sneak up on people like that?"

With one more swipe that cleared the last of the frost from his cheek, he rolled his eyes. "Pfft. I wasn't sneaking." Bending forward to bring them face to face, he planted one hand on the table beside her and used the other to poke the tip of her nose with something he was holding. "_You_ weren't paying attention."

The thing in his grasp was an ice cream stick, sans ice cream - presumably already devoured. He must have just come from Mr. McDuck's shop. She scowled at it, then at him.

Elsa wondered why he had now on more than one occasion jabbed her in the nose. He must take great pleasure in the gesture. She certainly didn't. Perhaps it was some strange custom on this planet.

She also didn't know why he felt the need to be so close to her at this particular second.

It was unnerving.

Placing a finger on the offending item to gingerly push it to one side, she said, "If you had announced yourself at the door-"

"_Announced_ myself?" he repeated, a barely suppressed chuckle behind his words. "Snowflake, what century are you from?"

"Now now, settle down, children," Merlin interjected, putting his book down as he rose from his chair. Whether him addressing them as such was a remark on their squabbling or simply because to his ancient eyes they practically _were_ children, was hard to tell. "Should you decide to drop in during one of these sessions in the future, Axel, you will announce yourself at the door. You're lucky this little accident didn't cause you any serious harm."

Bringing himself back up to his full height, Axel regarded the wizard with a half-grin. "I'm touched, old man, but if you think a little frost can hurt me, you got another thing coming."

Elsa looked down. She knew exactly what Merlin meant by his words. She had after all told him her entire history with her powers, including the incident as a child when she had unintentionally struck Anna in the head with her ice magic. Axel was very lucky indeed that her surprised reaction hadn't left him in a coma or worse. This was exactly the reason she needed to get a better grasp on her abilities.

Deciding not to comment on that subject, she instead said, "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I am curious as to the answer to that myself," Merlin looked to him sternly. "I presume you made use of a Corridor of Darkness to once again leave the training grounds I conjured for you and Kairi?"

"Bingo," he tapped a finger to his nose with a bright grin. "Got it in one."

"And our little talk the other day about traversing the dark pathways?"

Axel shrugged. "In one ear and out the other."

The wizard sighed with a shake of his head. "So be it. If you wish to continue to risk your heart in the Corridors, I wash my hands of you. But here's another thing to keep in mind: every time you leave that magic forest, you're losing out on invaluable practice. Exactly how much will vary… could be days, could be weeks, could be months. Simply put, do you wish to fall behind?"

"Eh, don't worry about it," he waved a hand dismissively. "I'm just giving Kairi a chance to catch up and get on my level."

Merlin harrumphed, puffing out his mustache before plopping back down into his chair and grumbling, "Said the fool whose keyblade still rarely heeds his call."

"Hey now!" Axel pointed at him with a scowl. "...accurate, but still, cheap shot!"

Keyblade? That was the weapon Sora fought with, wasn't it? Axel had one too? And what was this about it not heeding his call? Just what exactly was the deal with these mysterious weapons? Brushing her curiosity aside, Elsa said, "You still haven't answered the question. What are you doing here?"

Planting the ice cream stick between his teeth, his lips now stretched into a wide smirk as he shrugged again. "You weren't at the ice cream place."

Eyes snapping up to meet his, she quirked one eyebrow. "...so?"

"So how am I supposed to have ice cream if you're not there?"

She gave him a dull stare. "There are others there that can serve you," she pointed to the stick as evidence, "as you are fully aware."

"Allow me to rephrase." Popping the stick back out, he thrust it into the air. "How am I supposed to _enjoy_ my ice cream if you're not there, having us peasants working you raw for minimum wage? I demand my entertainment!"

Making a soft noise in her throat that was half sigh, half growl, she closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, and shook her head.

Her first days working for Mr. McDuck had been an… interesting experience, to say the least. It was strange to think that her powers seemed to be the least of her worries there. It was almost simple really, keeping the storage space in the back at a chilly temperature specified by her boss so that all the ice cream wouldn't melt. It surprisingly didn't even require much effort or thought - kind of like when she had brought the magical winter to all of Arendelle without even trying, only on a much smaller scale and with her much more in control. She supposed she could even look at it as another form of training for her powers in a way.

With that in mind, there was still plenty of room left for her to focus on the brand new world of "customer service" that she had been inducted into. She had of course been anxious at first at the idea of dealing with so many people, especially since she had spent so much of her life doing the exact opposite. But the people of Radiant Garden were kind and patient, and she had quickly discovered she had worried over nothing. In a way, it was not unlike being a queen serving the needs of her people. Only in this case, the people had one very specific need, that need being frozen sugary treats.

All in all, her new job wasn't bad. Not bad at all.

...is what she would have liked to say, if it weren't for one wrinkle.

Axel.

If previously she hadn't been sure what to think of the man, now the list of thoughts seemed to be without end, and not one pleasant inkling among them. It was little surprise it had all began the day Mr. McDuck had suggested Axel be a practice customer for her. If his antics had ended there, then perhaps Elsa would have been able to let it go and move passed it. However, that had only been the start. The very next day - her first official day on the job - he had returned to wreak havoc.

He'd complained about the menu being unreadable, he'd demanded to taste test every single flavor (twice) even though they both perfectly well knew which one he was going to choose in the end, he'd had her take back ice creams for being too blue or for not being blue _enough_. And that was only to name a few. Once he had finally deemed his purchase acceptable and stepped to the side to let the long line of customers that had been growing behind him place their orders, he didn't leave. Instead he took station at a little table in one corner of the parlor and started calling out every tiny mistake she made, all with that maddening smirk of his while slowly nursing his ice cream.

In short, he had made quite the nuisance of himself.

And that was just the first shift.

Suffice it to say in the days that followed, it appeared Axel had come to the decision to drop in and indulge in his cravings for ice cream and sadism on a daily basis. Today being her first day off since taking the job, she had thought she would get a much needed break from his mischief.

It would seem however that she had thought wrong.

"And if the entertainment won't come to me," he went on, "then I bring myself to the entertainment. So here I am," he stretched his arms out to either side of him, before letting them fall and planting his hands on his hips. "So, whatcha doing?"

"You already asked that," she said flatly.

He shrugged. "Still waiting on an answer."

She said nothing, just twisted her lips sourly and turned away from him. She didn't know why he had decided to make her the target of his mayhem, and at this point she was beginning not to care. Wasn't it enough he was making a pest of himself while she was at the ice cream shop? She didn't need the same treatment here while she was trying to improve herself. Perhaps if she ended the conversation here and ignored him, he'd leave her alone.

The silence stretched. Having retreated back into his book, Merlin flipped a page, while Cid kept typing in the background. Elsa watched Axel out of the corner of her eye as he frowned, his gaze shifting from her to the currently motionless ice decorating the table. Finally, he gave a soft harrumph. "Fine. I can take a hint. Message received, loud n' clear." Sliding the ice cream stick back into his mouth, he turned and began to meander towards the door. Placing a hand on the knob, he tossed casually back over his shoulder, "Oh, by the way… challenge accepted."

She blinked a couple times. "...challenge? What challenge?"

Spinning on his heel to face her once more, he grinned. "Oh, you know. When you went all 'hello face, meet ice' on me a moment ago."

Her brow furrowed. "That was an accident."

"That, Snowflake, was you throwing down the gauntlet. I already told you once, I don't back down from a fight."

"You… want to fight?" she tipped her head to one side.

Axel snorted. "Keep up," he snapped his fingers rapidly. "Yes, fight. The way I see it, you and I have some unfinished business anyway. So it's time to settle the score. And this time, leave the giant snowman at home. Just you and me. Head to head. One-vee-one. Mano e womano."

Sometimes she didn't entirely know what Axel was saying. She suspected there were moments even he himself did not know. It wouldn't have surprised her if he just strung random words together with the express intent of confusing her. After all, she was still adjusting to the strange dialect of this odd place, something he was perfectly aware of and she wouldn't put past him to have fun with. Still, she had understood enough. She rose to her feet, hands balling into fists at her sides. "It wasn't a challenge, and I am not going to fight you."

"Sure. Okay. I get it," his eyes crinkled slyly. "Her Royal Frostiness is scared."

Elsa bristled at that. "Don't be ridiculous. I am not-"

"Then prove it," he taunted, before holding up one finger. "Time: High noon." He struck up a second finger to join the first. "Place: The castle gate." He pointed them at her, adding, "Be there or be square."

She didn't know what it meant to be square, nor did she particularly want to find out. Looking to the clock in the room, she frowned. "Noon? But that's only a few minutes away."

He turned and opened the door. "Better get your rear in gear then. Hop to it, chop chop."

Before she could reply, he'd exited the house. With a frustrated huff, she rushed to the door, calling out through it, "I don't know where the castle gate is!" She stiffened, then added hastily, "Not that I've agreed to any of this foolishness!" Despite her words, she hesitated for only a second more, then groaned softly and ran out after him.

As the door clicked shut behind her, the tapping of the keyboard finally quieted as Cid gave a low snerk and shook his head. Eyes still glued to the monitor, he muttered, "Cats n' dogs, those two. Guess some people are just born to hate each other."

"On the contrary," Merlin settled his book in his lap and flipped a hand palm up. "One who has been forcing herself not to feel anything for over a decade and only just recently started letting emotions in again." Up went his other palm. "One who has been incapable of any feelings whatsoever for nearly as long and is newly reacquainted with the complexities of such human quirks." Bringing his hands together to steeple in front of his face, he concluded, "Is it any wonder they don't know what to do with - much less even _recognize_ \- what's happening to them? It is not unlike children pulling at each others pigtails or shoving each other to the ground."

Cid pivoted in his seat to face Merlin, giving him a long, hard look. "...you saying those couple of twenty-somethings are just discovering puberty?"

The wizard cleared his throat and adjusted his spectacles. "Quite."

There was a long pause. Then Merlin's hovel all but shook with Cid's laughter.

* * *

Where had that insufferable man disappeared to?

Elsa had chased after Axel through the streets of Radiant Garden, though try as she may, she had never quite been able to catch up to him. She didn't know how he managed to stay so far ahead, especially since he hadn't even seemed to be walking all that fast. There were a couple times where she thought she had even lost him, but then she'd spot a flash of his red mane turning the corner across the way and she'd be off once again.

Her pursuit had eventually led her away from the bustle of the crowded city center as she followed him down deserted lanes and alleys and eventually through a darkened archway. Bursting out the other side, she slowed to a stop, for he had been out of view once more. It only took her a second to recognize the place in which she stood - this was where she had first woken up in this world after the attack on Arendelle. Another second and her eyes caught sight of him again at the base of a set of stairs off to her right. She had rushed down them and out through a gap in the wall when she reached the bottom.

Which had brought her here, to the center of a large square. Some sort of… courtyard, it would seem? Its cobblestones were a mixture of sharp green and varying shades of rich blue, coming together in an embellished design that resembled a massive four leaf clover. It appeared she was now on the outer edges of the city, for instead of stone walls, she was surrounded by sheer cliffs. At her back, the spindly spires of the eerie, mysterious castle reached high over the rooftops of the town. Before her, beyond a crumbled grey pillar, a barren open expanse of craggy cobalt hills stretched as far as the eye could see.

And Axel was nowhere to be spotted.

Elsa heaved a heavy sigh. What was she even doing here? She should have stayed back at Merlin's house. Hopefully the sorcerer wouldn't be cross with her for leaving with the lesson unfinished. She wasn't even fully certain why she had decided to follow Axel in the first place. Surely, she wasn't actually planning on going along with his preposterous proposal to duel!

...maybe that's _exactly _what she wanted to do. If she could best him in combat, maybe she could finally abolish that smug grin that seemed to be eternally plastered to his face and get him to leave her alone. There was no doubt that victory would be hers. She may have struggled the first time she had faced him, but that was only because she had been surprised, thrown off by coming across another magic wielder able to counter her powers so easily. But this time she knew what she was up against. This time she would not fail.

But that still left one question… where was this castle gate he had mentioned? Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere? Had he slipped around a corner and down a path she had not seen? She couldn't be too far off, perhaps if she-

The hush around her was broken by a faint crackle and pop before a giant column of roaring fire suddenly shot up from the ground directly in front of her. With a squeak, she stumbled backwards from the unbearable heat and watched as the flames died down just as abruptly as they had appeared.

With her heart pounding loudly in her ears, she almost didn't hear the snort followed by laughter that began to echo around her. Eyes darting about swiftly, they finally landed on the source crouched atop the stone pillar, green eyes dancing with glee.

Glaring up at Axel, she snapped, "I wasn't ready!"

His cackling died down as he cocked an eyebrow at her, then tapped a finger to his wrist. "Check your watch. It's high noon, on the dot. Ready or not, this fight's a go."

With a start, she glanced around the place. Did that mean then that… _this_ was the castle gate? She supposed, now that she took a second look, that the broken pillar on which he was perched may have been part of a gate once upon a time, before whatever it was came along and shattered it to all but rubble. She then looked at her bare wrist and grumbled, "I don't have a watch."

"Not my problem," he plopped down on his rear, kicking out his feet and propping an elbow on one knee as he hunched forward. "Be thankful it was just fire and not one of my chakrams."

"Chakrams?" she frowned.

"You know. Spinning flaming spiky wheels of death?"

Oh. So that's what those weapons of his were called. That, or he was just spouting made-up nonsense again to fool with her.

He continued, "Figured that'd make it all even steven. No Frosty for you, no weapons for me. Just a straight up brawl of raw power. No sweat, right? Nothing to be afraid of."

She squared her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "I am _not_ afraid."

"Huh," he chuckled, pointing at her feet. "Coulda fooled me."

Looking down, she realized a frozen ring of spikes had erupted from the ground around her. When… had she done that? Was it when the fire had sca- ...ahem, _startled_ her? Returning her gaze to him, she lifted her chin. "I was just… preparing to defend myself."

"Really now?" One side of his mouth twitched upward. "Okay then… defend against this!" He suddenly whipped one hand forward, launching a fireball at her.

Gritting her teeth, she threw up an ice wall barely in time, the flames exploding as they crashed into it. Tossing her hand to one side, the ice crumpled and scattered as she raised both hands to counterattack, but then she froze.

The space atop the grey pillar was now empty.

Blast it, _now_ where had he gone?

"Boo."

That single solitary syllable whispered just behind her sent a chill up her spine, and sent her stumbling forward, scrambling to spin around as she thrust out her arms and shot off several icicles. Axel leapt back and raised his hands, palms swirling with flames that he used to block each and every single one of them, reducing them to nothing but steam in an instant. "Ha! Was ready for you this time," he crowed, before disappearing into a dark portal.

Her body tensed, her gaze darting about looking for him. What was this, a battle or a toddler's game of hide-n-seek? She called out, "No fair! You said-"

"I said _powers_ only." At the sound of his voice, she whirled around to find him seated on the stairs leading back up towards Radiant Garden. "Nothing about strictly fire and ice. So my Corridors of Darkness are totally fair game." He beamed and asked innocently, "That won't be a problem, will it?"

She scowled at him, the air around her becoming chillier as the icy barbs at her feet grew larger. A few tense seconds ticked by as she simply stared him down. Abruptly, her lips melted into a wicked smirk as she responded just as sweetly, "Not at all." Then she flung her hands up, one after the other, and several of the spikes in front of her exploded free and flew in a barrage towards him.

He didn't even so much as flinch as they smashed and sunk into the dirt and stone around him. As the last one crash landed not an inch away from his thigh, he breathed a soft snort and shook his head. "Ya missed."

Her grin didn't falter. "Did I?" With a flick of her wrist, the frozen stakes around him bent and shifted, pouncing onto Axel and encasing in ice whatever skin they came into contact with. He watched with mild curiosity as it expanded swiftly, covering more and more of his lanky frame by the second. It had gotten as far as cocooning the lower half of his body when he gave a tiny shrug and once again vanished into a swirling, inky black void.

Elsa huffed as the ice, hollow now that it was bereft of its prisoner, shattered in on itself. This was impossible. She couldn't restrain him quickly enough. Even if she had somehow successfully managed to trap him from head to toe in solid ice, she was beginning to suspect he still could have teleported himself out of it. She needed to come up with a different tactic. She needed to-

"Clever girl."

Ugh. Again with that low, teasing voice just over her shoulder. Whipping around to face him once again, she stamped her foot, frost crystallizing on the cobblestone beneath it, crackling as it spread out. She snapped, "Would you stop that, you-"

"Ah ah ah." He waggled a finger in front of her nose and with a tiny smirk, sing-songed, "Temper, temper."

...oh, the absolute _nerve_ of this man. The frost beneath her snapped and popped as it clawed out further across the clover design. This smug, pompous fool. The ice spikes re-emerged, gleaming sharply as they slowly stretched upward from the ground. This arrogant, conceited braggart. Flecks of snow shimmered in the air and began to whirl around her in a freezing gust of wind. This swaggering, odious, egotistical-

"Stop that," he muttered, bringing a hand up to her forehead where she suddenly felt a swift but light sting to her brow.

The flurry around her immediately died, sending the snowflakes fluttering to the ground as Elsa stumbled back a step. Incredulous eyes grew round as one hand flew up to cover the sore spot. She blinked once, then twice.

Did… did he just… _flick _her?!

"That's your problem, you know." He tapped a finger to his temple, "You're too in your head."

A third blink. "...my problem?"

"With your powers."

Her head rocked back. He knew?! "How did you-"

"Pfft. Like you'd spend your day off with Merlin just cuz he's such a party animal. No offense to ol' Long Beard, but come on. Once I found out where you were and who you were with, it wasn't hard to put two n' two together." He shrugged, then flashed a smug smile. "I'm right, aren't I? You don't have complete control over your powers, do you?"

She couldn't decide which was more irritating, the fact that he was correct or that he had guessed it so quickly. Crossing her arms and turning her head to one side, she grumbled, "I fail to see how that is any of your concern."

As she spoke, a tiny flash of white glimmered into existence, floating between them. Axel was swift to snatch it out of the air before holding it out to her, "And from the looks of it, I'd say the trouble lies with your magic being tied too closely to your emotions."

Elsa stubbornly continued to not look at him, but couldn't help a furtive glance out of the corner of her eye, spotting a single snowflake nestled within his palm. She gave a muted harrumph and said nothing. She'd be damned if she gave him the satisfaction of knowing he was right.

Unfortunately, if the way his grin widened was any indication, he seemed to already have that. The fleck of ice flittered to the floor as he dusted his hands together. "You worry too much. And don't ask me how I know that, it's plain as day. You're an open book, Snowflake. You _way_ overthink things. And if you think about it all too much, fearing what could go wrong, it _will_ go wrong. So don't think about it." He struck up an index finger, "That's lesson one."

She stiffened, eyes finally snapping back to meet his. Lesson? Her eyebrows knit together. "You're... training me?"

"Duh." Axel snorted. "Beats being stuck in that cramped, dusty room with ol' Long Beard, am I right? I've found people learn better out in the field with a more hands-on approach."

Giving him a pointed look, she muttered, "Depends on the teacher."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't think about it?" she echoed his earlier words, one eyebrow arched, before shaking her head. "As if it were so simple."

"Maybe because it is. Listen, just… tell your brain to shut it. Brains are big know-it-alls that think they're right about everything, but they're not. Not about this. Put a muzzle on those negative thoughts and just… trust yourself. Don't think, just do. Got it memorized?"

Trust… herself?

Easier said than done.

He wasn't wrong, she did worry. A lot. But could it really be considered too much? After all, a mere sneeze from her could result in her unwittingly freezing the person standing next to her into an ice statue. When it came to a problem like that, she felt she worried just the right amount.

Even after learning love could undo any damage her powers might wreak, it didn't make her feel any better that accidents could still happen in the first place. Ever since the incident with her sister when they were children, fearing the worst had practically become second nature. Her way of life. It was subconscious. A part of who she was. Something like that couldn't simply just be cut off.

...could it?

Hm. It seemed she was going to have to give this whole 'not thinking about it' thing some more thought.

He was waiting, looking at her expectantly. She chewed her lower lip, twisting her braid between her fingers. Finally she said, "I have a question."

He nodded, "Shoot."

Her head tilted slightly. "Shoot? Shoot at what?"

A smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth as he shook his head. "I meant ask your question."

"Oh." What a strange expression. "Well, I was just curious… what is that word you used a minute ago? I believe you pronounced it… 'duh?'"

Axel blinked, then snerked softly. "It's said to someone who's stated the obvious."

How odd. Regardless, she was one step closer to comprehending his, shall we say... unique speech patterns. She was beginning to suspect there was no ridding herself of him, not if the way the past few days had gone were any indicator. She wasn't sure what exactly she had done to earn the headache. But if there was one thing she was sure of, it was that she was going to start decrypting his gibberish. Maybe his company would be more pleasant if she understood him.

Though, admittedly… the past few minutes hadn't been all _that_ bad.

Perhaps she was getting used to the constant thorn in her side.

"Alright," he said suddenly with a clap of his hands, snapping her out of her thoughts. "I think that's enough for today, class. School's out."

"Eh?" She turned as he walked past her to make his way back to the city. "But what about our fight?"

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "We'll call it a draw this time." His eyes crinkled. "But I expect a rematch. And next time, bring your A-game."

Again with the puzzling manner of speech. However, Elsa found herself grinning despite herself. She didn't know what this "A-game" was, but there was one thing she was certain of. When she found out, she was damn well going to bring it.

* * *

_**A/N:** And so it was in this chapter that we learn from Merlin's sage observations that these couple of kids are just about the two most incompetent people to be falling in love xD Yeah, as I said, we're in for a bit of a rough ride with this pair, but I like to think that it'll be a fun one too! And hey, they got a lil more "get to know ya" time this chapter and there's at least a glimmer of a shaky friendship starting to form xD But boy, you guys might be getting tired of Radiant Garden by now and are wondering where this adventure is that I promised you? Worry not, the adventure shall at last be set in motion next chapter! With a few small cameos to boot :D_

_As always, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the talented and superb** Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being amazing betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Mad Oni**, **Daughter of Kyne**, **Spiderfan626**, **ScarletEmperor** and **SoraKairiRikuNamine** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated and your support really means everything to me! You're all such sweetie pies, I'm not worthy!_

_Super teeny fun fact this chapter (not revisions related as while there were a couple, they weren't really noteworthy): the place where Axel and Elsa had their "duel" this chapter? Was the place where Sora fights Demyx in Radiant Garden in KH2! Perhaps some of you already realized that and recognized the place? Does anyone out there know with any certainty if that location actually made an appearance in KH3? I don't think it did, but I couldn't recall for certain from when I played KH3 and haven't had the time to really go back and double check. I wrote it as it appeared in KH2 (all broken and whatnot), but I worry that maybe it did show up in KH3 and was shown as repaired. If it DID show up in KH3 and you can point me to the associated scene, please let me know! It's an easy correction for me to make to this chapter if needed!_

_Anyhow, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, word to your mothers, and other such phrases that shouldn't be coming out of the likes of lil ol' me!_


	10. Chapter 10

"Wait, it's going to take _how_ long?!"

Snowflake's voice rung out through the ice creamery as Axel entered, causing him to quirk an eyebrow. The shop was a ghost town at the moment with not a customer in sight. That would change shortly for soon the afternoon rush would be upon them. But there was no one even stationed behind the register, which was a bit more on the odd side.

Scrooge's voice could be heard answering, his hasty words drifting through the door behind the counter leading into the back rooms. "Don't you take that tone with me, lassie! You have to consider the _magnitude_ of the expenses involved! There's provisions to be purchased, a crew to be paid, maintenance costs to get the ship in tip-top shape, not to mention-"

"Enough!" he heard her snarl back. There was a familiar, soft crackling sound and if he squinted, Axel could spot the first hints of ice crystallizing around the edges of the door through which the argument was being carried. He watched it creep a few inches out along the walls before his ears picked up the stomping of footfall, followed by Snowflake herself emerging through said door with a scowl on her face. She snapped over her shoulder, "I'm taking my ten!" It seemed she hardly even noticed Axel, who had to scramble to get out of her way as she stormed out the front door, the small bell clanging angrily as she shoved it open.

Both eyebrows now shooting up his forehead, only a second ticked by before the redhead was following her outside. Normally he'd have no trouble keeping up with her with his naturally long strides, but now he had to jog not only to catch up but to keep pace as well. She didn't acknowledge his presence, just continued her brisk gait while glaring straight ahead.

Right. Now to find something to say. An ice breaker, if you will…

Heh. Pun intended.

Clearing his throat, he tried, "Lookit you, brushing up on the lingo. If someone had told you to take a ten a couple days ago, you would have asked ten what?"

She said nothing, just kept marching along, destination unclear... if there even was one. He had a sneaking suspicion there was not.

Okay, strike one. Let's try that again. Looking to her once more, he realized for the first time that instead of her usual loose french braid, her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail today. It trailed down to her lower back and swayed heavily with each furious step she took. Alright, take two. "Trying something different with your hair, I see."

"Not now, Axel," she grumbled, still hard set against looking at him.

Annnnnnnd strike numero dos.

Flecks of snow floated down in her wake, scattering across the ground. He frowned at this. Seemed like his advice from the other day had gone in one queenly ear and out the other. "What did we just talk about, Missy? I believe something about learning to keep your... cool?"

Man, as far as puns went, he was on _fire_ today!

Now she stopped, narrowing her eyes up at him. If looks could kill, he'd be deader than a doornail in that exact moment. He held his hands up in surrender, laughing nervously. A soft huff emitted from her throat before she turned to walk away once more, this time picking up the pace.

Oh no. She wasn't going to lose him that easily. Maybe they weren't exactly friends. Hell, they were still probably leagues away from that territory. But Axel liked to think after their little heart to heart at the castle gate, somewhat of a truce had formed between them. To be fair, a truce that was shakier than a house of cards in an earthquake, but still, a truce all the same. Whatever was eating at her, she was gonna spill.

He quickly moved to get in front of her and block her path, again bringing up his hands in front of him. "Hold it. Alright, what's the deal? What's got your goat?"

She slowed to a halt and blinked, her brow furrowing. "Goat? There is no-"

"I _know_. I know there is no goat," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. She may have picked up a bit of the vocab here and there, but girl still had a long way to go. "I meant, what's wrong?"

Face twisting into a grimace once more, she crossed her arms and looked down at her feet, not responding right away. At first, he thought he wasn't going to get any sort of reply period. But then finally, after a long pause, she muttered sourly, "Mr. McDuck paid me for the first time today."

"...the fiend."

She looked back up at him, eyelids drooping into a dull stare. Okay, a lot of things went over Snowflake's head, but apparently sarcasm wasn't one of them. She bit out, "I still don't have a complete understanding of the value of your munny system, so I asked him at this rate how long it would take to pay for passage on his gummi ship. His answer was a month. _At least_."

"...well yeah, you sell _ice cream_. That's not exactly a six-figure career, what'd you expect?"

A growl of frustration escaped her as she turned from him, beginning to pace back and forth. "I expected to be out there looking for Anna already!"

"Listen, unless you're a certain defender and champion of the galaxy whose name rhymes with 'flora,' space travel ain't cheap. Do you have any idea how expensive gummi ships are?"

"It doesn't matter, I don't have a month. My _sister_ doesn't have a month. I can't just sit here, safe and sound and doing nothing while she's out there somewhere, possibly hurt and in trouble or… or…"

Releasing a loud, agitated breath, her pacing came to an abrupt stop. Throwing her left arm out to one side, the air shimmered with flecks of snow and ice that swirled around it and coated it from shoulder to wrist. Stretching her other arm out, another sleeve of frost glimmered into existence before spreading down her torso. Her ordinary clothes that Aerith had bought for her were replaced once more with a frozen fabric, but it wasn't the same dress as the one she'd worn the day she'd appeared in Radiant Garden. No, this new look seemed to take a bit of inspiration from the blouse and leggings she wore, now forming a sort of leotard with long legs under an airy, translucent skirt.

Her ankle boots were overtaken by ice and stretched and grew, stopping just short of her knees. Yet another layer of frost appeared over the rest, forming a long, high-necked coat with ice beads dangling from the hem at the bottom. Its front laid open except for a belt cinching it at the waist. A soft, gauzy cape sprouted from her shoulders, falling the same length as her coat and split down the middle, making it almost appear like a set of gossamer wings. Seemingly done with the wardrobe change, Snowflake turned to him once more, her expression hard.

He blinked. "...okay… what was with the magic girl transformation there?"

"What do you think?" she asked, her tone even and cool.

He pointed at her updated footwear. "I think those boots were made for walking."

She shook her head before pushing past him. "I have to go."

He snorted. "Go _where_ exactly?"

"To look for her! Or to look for Arendelle! Or… I don't know, just anywhere but here!"

He'd thought as much. The new outfit definitely looked the part of someone who had made some travel plans. But it seemed one tiny detail had slipped her mind. "And what part of being on a whole other planet don't you understand?"

She froze in her tracks, her spine snapping straight, before whirling around to glare at him. "...am I? Really? Or was that just a lie I was told to make me stay put, keep me complacent and do as I was told? If I were to go beyond the castle gate, what would I truly find out there?"

Admittedly, if you're from a place where intergalactic gallivanting is nothing but an unattainable pipe dream, it can seem like a bit of a stretch for you to just randomly wake up one day on a completely different world. Truth be told, he had actually been surprised that Snowflake had accepted their explanation without question for this long. It had really only been a matter of time before doubt reared its ugly head. Stretch or not though, it was the truth. And now it was going to take more than just some words and a few cheap holograms to make her believe that.

Rubbing the nape of his neck, Axel puffed out a sigh. Then he began to unzip his Organization cloak.

She frowned, a crinkle forming between her eyebrows. "What are you doing?"

He shrugged out of his coat and held it out to her. "Put this on."

Her eyes shifted from him to it and back a couple times. "...I'm not cold."

He huffed through his nose. "Would you just wear it?"

This could be done the easy way or the hard way.

"Whatever new trick this is, I don't have time for it," she muttered, turning to march off once more.

Fine. Hard way it was then. She'd brought this on herself.

Axel tossed his cloak over her head. Given the considerable height difference between the two of them, it easily swallowed her whole, draping over her like a child in a tablecloth ghost costume with several inches dragging along the ground.

"What the-" she yelped as her world went dark, her hands flying out to fight her way free. Before she could escape however, he picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, making sure she remained firmly wrapped up in the coat. Bits of snow were popping up in the air again, dancing in a chilly gust swirling around him.

Oi, had to make this quick before she made a popsicle out of him.

Her voice came out muffled through the fabric, "Unhand me at once, scoundrel!"

He opened his mouth to respond, but instead let out a grunt as she kneed him in the gut. Oof, that smarted. "Hey, play nice," he wheezed. "I gotta show you something." And with that, he summoned up a Corridor of Darkness and disappeared through it with her.

Axel had never used the Corridors without wearing his cloak before. It didn't come as a surprise however to find it wasn't exactly a pleasant experience. He could feel the darkness pressing in all around him. Could feel it needling away at his heart, seeking entry. Sorry, bucko, no solicitors allowed.

This was why Snowflake was the one in his coat and not him. He figured he knew what he was up against, so he could take it. His heart had been chow for the Heartless once before. It already had some wear and tear, what would be a few more nicks and scratches here and there? Maybe that was why his heart had never felt quite right since getting it back. It was damaged goods.

Luckily, their passage through the Corridors was a short one and soon they were popping out at their destination. Immediately it was like a weight had been lifted and he breathed a sigh of relief. He almost forgot about his unwilling cargo. Said cargo reminded him of her presence with another sharp kick to the stomach.

Wincing, he dropped her unceremoniously to the ground, where she stumbled but managed to stay on her feet. Grabbing a fistful of his coat, he cleared his throat, "And Axel said… let there be light!" With one swift tug, he yanked it clean off her.

Eyes wide, she blinked a couple times, adjusting to the sudden lack of utter darkness. The pale wisps of hair free of her ponytail were a frazzled mess. The sight she made would have been hilarious if it weren't for the scowl she was now directing up at him.

Scratch that. It actually made it even funnier.

"How dare you," she said, her voice dangerously low. "You think you can simply-"

"Oh, would you just zip it for one second and look." He placed his hands on her shoulders and spun her one-eighty. She gasped.

He had brought her to Yen Sid's tower. A place where the stars seemed so close that you could all but reach out and pluck one straight out of the sky. If you can't bring the girl to the cosmos, you bring the cosmos to the girl. It makes it kind of hard to argue with space travel when it's all but smacking you in the face.

She stared out into infinity, her mouth working but no sounds coming out.

Axel snerked as he started to slip his coat back on. "Quite the view, huh?"

She at last found her voice long enough to whisper, "Where…?"

"On another planet," he shrugged. She tore her eyes away from the breathtaking sight and directed them his way. "That's right. Not Arendelle. Not Radiant Garden. _Another_ one. That's three planets you've been to now. Congratz, that's two more than most people."

The corners of his lips turned down and he scratched a spot behind his ear. "Though planet may not be the right word. It's more of an asteroid… or a meteoroid… either way, place is tiny. It'd take you longer to walk from one corner to its opposite in Merlin's shoebox of a hut than it would take you to cross the entire length of this floating island. Speaking of which, if heights make you squeamish, I'd suggest not looking down."

Of course, the first thing she did was promptly look down. A quick intake of breath and she was staggering a step back from the edge. But then her head tipped to one side as she seemed to consider the bottomless void inches from her feet. A few seconds passed before, with all the airs befitting her royal station, she delicately took a seat on the grass right at the precipice, primly tucking her legs beneath her. All pomp and circumstance was thrown out the window however when she bent forward to look beneath the island.

Axel jolted, scrambling to grab hold of the back of her coat to make sure she didn't fall.

Well, _that_ had been unexpected.

Honestly, he wasn't entirely sure if it was even _possible_ to fall off this lil rock of a planet. He'd never tested stepping foot off it to see what would happen. He'd never particularly wanted to find out.

"Jeeze, Snowflake, what are you trying to do, give me a heart attack?" he grumbled.

She ignored him as she precariously dangled the upper half of her body over the edge, her ponytail swinging slightly as her head swiveled about, taking in the substratum of Yen Sid's little corner of the universe. When it seemed she had seen enough, she straightened back up and rose to her feet, a thoughtful frown tugging at her lips.

"Satisfied?" Axel asked dryly. The only reply he got was her dashing past him to the other side of the island, taking no notice of the tower whatsoever. No surprise there. Towers... she had seen before. Giant magic space rocks... not so much. Coming to a stop at the opposite edge, she kneeled down again. Axel called, "Seriously? You're going to-?"

Once more, she leaned forward and dipped her head beneath the underside of the islet.

"Annnnd there she goes," he muttered. Shaking his head, he unhurriedly made his way over to join her.

On her head be it if she tumbled off into space. He'd tried.

She was pulling herself back up as he came to a stop beside her. This time however she remained seated, staring out at the stars once more, her eyes distant as she worried her lower lip between her teeth. "...I'm really… on another world…"

_Finally_ the hard truth was actually sinking in. Exhaling slowly, he sat down next to her, letting his feet hang over the brink as he leaned back on his hands. "Well… yeah."

"I can't just… walk beyond the city limits and try to find my sister… or my way home…"

He shrugged. "Afraid not."

Elsa looked down at her lap and rubbed her elbow. She was quiet for a moment. Then, "I knew. Deep down, I really did know, but… it was easier telling myself it was all a lie… That it was as simple as leaving and beginning my search on foot."

Pulling one knee up to his chest, he propped his elbow on it and scratched his cheek. "Cid and his computer haven't had any luck? No word from Sora either?"

"No," she shook her head. There was another stretch of silence between them. "I'm sorry," she murmured at last. "About losing my temper." Her gaze rose to meet his now. "But you understand, right? Just doing nothing… feeling so helpless, so powerless… I just can't stand it. Have you ever lost someone you cared about and all you wanted was to be at their side?"

He stiffened.

Had he? Honey, take your pick. Roxas… Isa…

In a way, even that girl with black hair in an Organization coat that he had dreamt about too. Was still having dreams about. Nothing as chilling or as real as that first one had felt. No, they were now more hazy and vague. Images that were broken and scattered, like a puzzle he was missing more than half the pieces to.

Did he want to be by this girl's side? He wasn't sure… but he sure as hell felt like he had lost something.

He still didn't have the foggiest as to who she was. He was still stuck at that dead end when it came to digging up info on her. Exactly zero progress made since his visit with Ienzo and the other former Nobodies now residing at the castle of Radiant Garden. Problem was, he really had nowhere else to go. All other ties to the Organization he could think of were still MIA.

Well... MIA or incommunicado.

AKA Roxas.

He breathed out a big sigh and tiredly ruffled his hair. "I get it. Trust me, I really do. But you can't just-"

"Well look who it is!"

Axel winced at the sound of the new voice, before twisting where he sat to find Kairi standing behind them. Her fists were planted against her hips and one foot tapped as she narrowed her eyes at him.

He stood up, dusting the grass stains from his clothes and giving a weak chuckle. "Hey, Princess." Insert finger guns. "Shouldn't you be back at Merlin's mystical lil pocket dimension?"

She crossed her arms. "Could say the same to you, bucko. What, you think you're the only one who gets to come and go as they please? At least _I'm_ here under Merlin's permission. I-" she stopped as her eyes drifted past him, her head rocking back slightly. "Eh? Who's this?"

"Hm?" He followed her gaze to Elsa, who had also risen to her feet by now and was eyeing them both curiously. "Oh, right." Some introductions were in order. "Princess, Snowflake." He swept his hand from one woman to the other, then back, "Snowflake, Princess."

"_Kairi_," the redhead corrected, rolling her eyes.

Placing a hand on her chest, Snowflake did the same, "Elsa." Bowing her head, she added, "Apologies, I did not realize I would be meeting a fellow dignitary, Princess Kairi."

She snerked. "Not that kind of princess." As Elsa's words began to fully sink in, Kairi looked her over, tipping her head to one side. Then realization struck like a lightning bolt and her lips formed a perfect O. "So _you're_ the ice queen Axel keeps talking about!"

"Wha- Hey! Do not!" He gave her shoulder a shove.

Putting a delicate finger to her chin, Kairi smiled innocently and said, "You never mentioned how cute she was. No wonder you're bamfing off to Radiant Garden all the time!" He tried to swat the back of her head this time, but she quickly dodged and darted to hide behind Elsa before peeking out from behind the other woman's shoulder to stick her tongue out at him. Looking somewhat uncomfortable, Elsa remained silent, wisely deciding to stay out of this. Snickering, Kairi tacked on, "I can see why you keep risking a beating from Merlin for your little field trips!"

"Yeah, for the ice cream!"

There was now a wicked gleam to her eye. "Really? _That's_ your story? Cuz if you just wanted ice cream, there's no need to use the Corridors of Darkness. You know you could just ask Merlin and he'd summon you a whole lifetime's worth!"

"Shut it," he ground out. True, his visits to his homeworld were becoming more frequent as of late, despite the number of reprimands it had earned him from ol' Long Beard. First of all, he was a free spirit. There was no tying him down, he did what he wanted! Second of all, everyone knew Mr. McD's sea salt ice cream was the best in the whole galaxy. Merlin wouldn't have bothered going all the way to Radiant Garden for it though, he would have just conjured the stuff up out of thin air and it would have tasted as good as sawdust. Axel was just in it for the five-star, _quality_ ice cream, that's all! It had absolutely _squat_ to do with how cute Snowflake was.

...not to say he thought she was cute.

Er, not to say that she wasn't!

...best to just not say anything.

Was it just him, or was it warmer than usual on this tiny little planetoid? Must be all that global warming. Cuz that'd make sense on an asteroid. But then, mysterious towers owned by ancient sorcerers on floating islands in space usually had little to do in the way of logic. Clearing his throat and rubbing the back of his neck, he grumbled, "Seriously, what are you doing here?"

Kairi shrugged. "Got bored being in the enchanted timeless forest by myself all the time. Was getting some mega cabin fever. So I asked Merlin if he could jailbreak me for a bit and he brought me here. What a coinkydink running into you two here at the same time!" She clapped her hands together with a smile before giving them both a sly look. "And what are _you_ doing here anyway, hm? Wait, don't tell me. Let me guess. Far off secluded spot for two, magical romantic ambiance… is this a da-"

"So help me, Princess, if you finish that sentence..."

She blinked, then there was a devilish curl to her lips. As she opened her mouth to seal her doom however, new voices coming faintly from the other side of the planetoid could suddenly be heard.

"I still can't believe it! We were monsters!"

"We know, Sora."

Ahhh, saved by the dork brigade.

Across the way, a familiar boy with spiky brown hair could be seen taking the lead on his way to the front doors of the tower, but then stopped to spin around and face his companions. "No but… we were monsters! Real live _monsters!_ I had fur and claws and fangs! Like this!" He opened his mouth wide, curling his fingers in front of it, mimicking said fangs.

Goofy ambled along with a chuckle while Donald released a long drawn out sigh, "We _know_, we were there!"

"No but…" he pointed to the taller of his two friends, "you were green and had eye stalks!" His index finger shifted, "And you had wings and just one-"

"_We know!_"

"Sora!"

"Huh?" his head jerked towards the sound of his name just as Kairi flung herself at him, knocking them both over into a tangled heap on the ground.

"Well look who the cat dragged in," Axel snorted as he too made his way over, but in a much more leisurely fashion.

Sora winced as he slowly sat up, his childhood friend still tightly hugging him around the waist. With a soft smile, he rested a hand atop her head. "Kairi? Axel?" Then he blinked in surprise as his eyes focused on something behind Axel. "_Elsa?!_ What are _you_ doing here?!" Goofy gaped and Donald squawked in surprise.

Axel crossed his arms with a smirk. "Maybe you'd know if you checked your phone once and awhile."

"My…?" he fished it out of his pocket with a frown. "But I do! Most of the time anyway… I mean, I don't usually when I'm on a planet cuz I'm normally too busy fighting things. But as soon as I'm off world, I answer if it rings! I just talked to Ienzo the other day!"

"Figures the bookworm would forget to mention that to us," Axel rolled his eyes with a shake of his head. "But you do know how to check voicemails, right?"

Sora cocked his head. "...what are voicemails?" At the long suffering groan from Axel, he scowled. "Whatever! Will you just tell me why all of you are here?"

"Well it's kind of a long story…"

* * *

Elsa glared.

The large wooden door at which her displeasure was directed seemed unimpressed.

With a low, almost inaudible growl, she went back to staring at the stone step beneath her feet as she paced the length of it to and fro, taking care to not peek over the edge at the long drop below. She now found herself at the top of a floating staircase inside the highest point of this whimsical little tower she'd been brought to. Keyword here being _herself_. She was alone. The others were on the opposite side of that door that'd been the focus of her ire.

They'd had the audacity to tell her to wait out here while they talked. Said it was official keyblade wielder business of which she was not a part of. The nerve of these people. Elsa knew very well they were discussing her. This was her life, her future, her world, her sister! She had every right to be included!

Her feet stilled once more and she looked to the door again with a sour twist to her lips. Their infernal secrecy be damned! She wanted answers! Taking a step forward, she placed her hands against the door and cautiously pressed one ear to it.

"You mean to tell me she's a Princess of Heart?!" Axel cried out. In the room beyond the door, otherwise known as Yen Sid's study, everyone was gathered round the sorcerer's desk. When the group had entered a few moments earlier, they'd discovered Master Yen Sid himself already waiting, as well as Merlin, Riku, and King Mickey.

"Is princess really the right word now?" Goofy asked, glancing upward while squeezing one eye shut and scratching a finger to his temple. "I mean, if she's a queen n' all…"

Axel tossed his hands up, "Fine, one of the New Seven Hearts or whatever the Organization is calling them now. We'll argue semantics later, whatever! But you're saying her?" he thrust a finger at the door behind them. "_She's_ one of them?"

"Actually, I'm not all that surprised," Kairi chimed in, placing a hand over her heart. "I think… a part of me knew when I met her. I could feel her light. I just had no idea the power could be passed on, so I didn't realize that's what I was sensing."

Folding his hands behind his head, Sora's lips pursed to one side. "That still doesn't explain what happened to her and Anna back on Arendelle, or how she ended up in Radiant Garden."

"On the contrary," Yen Sid rumbled in his deep voice, "I think we're able to deduce exactly what occurred now."

"Wha?" Both eyebrows flew up Sora's forehead.

"It's Organization XIII," Riku explained. "They've decided to go after the New Seven Hearts. Sounds like they may have succeeded with Anna, but botched the job when making the grab for Elsa. Maybe her ice powers caught her kidnapper off guard while in the Corridors of Darkness and sent her hurtling back out. She could have wound up on any planet, it was just her luck it turned out to be Radiant Garden."

Sora frowned. "But why? Back on Corona, Marluxia told me Rapunzel and the other New Hearts were just a backup plan. We're doing what they told us to do, we're gathering seven Guardians! Why can't the Organization just leave them alone?"

"Powerful though we may be," Merlin said looking to his fellow mage, "it is beyond even our abilities to divine the inner workings of the minds of our enemies. It is unlikely knowing the why would help us much anyhow. All we can do is react. Make decisions. Starting with our esteemed guest just outside this room."

"With Sora's help, we now know the precise location of her world," Mickey piped up. "Maybe returning her to her home would be the best place for her. We can also keep a protective watch over her in case the Organization decides to rile up more trouble and-"

"Absolutely not!" The door banged open and they all turned just as Elsa came storming in, blue eyes flashing dangerously. "I refuse to stand idly by while this… this _Organization_, whoever they are, have taken my sister prisoner for some nefarious purpose! I demand to be taken on whatever rescue mission you're planning!"

With a heavy sigh, Merlin stepped forward, removing his spectacles to fix her with a steely look. "We've been over this already, your Majesty. We can't have you traipsing from one world to the next in a foolhardy attempt to rescue your sister, it is not your place and it is too dangerous. Even before we knew Organization XIII was after you, it was out of the question, but now? A complete impossibility! Please trust that we have your best interests at heart and will decide the most ideal course for keeping you safe."

Her nostrils flared and her eyes narrowed as they darted from one person to the next. Beneath her boots, small patches of ice crackled and stretched outward. "Fine," she ground out. "If you won't help me, then I'll just do it myself." Then she whipped around and ran out the door.

Silence reigned supreme in the room for a good few seconds following her exit. Axel was the first to break it. "Heh… on that cryptic note," he jerked a thumb over his shoulder, "I'll go after her High and Mightiness to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."

Before anyone could tell him otherwise, he sprinted off after her. Girl certainly knew how to hustle, for she was already long gone. Wouldn't be hard to track though, not with the oh so subtle trail of frost she had left in her wake. He was quick to follow it down the stairs, through a couple topsy turvy rooms, skipping the last several steps in one big leap to the lobby floor, landing in a crouch before rushing out the front doors. His feet skid along the grass as he came to a stop, glancing around.

Given how tiny Yen Sid's little world was, she wasn't hard to spot. She stood a few yards off at one edge of the floating island, rigid back to him as she stared off into the stars, her long coat dancing and snapping in a breeze. Given that this place had always had absolutely zero wind factor before, it was a good guess she was conjuring the gust herself.

Yeesh, such a drama queen.

"What's the plan, Snowflake?" he asked as he walked towards her. "Gonna just hurl yourself off into space and cross your fingers that you land on the next planet over? Cuz I'll tell you now, I'd pay good munny to see that."

She flinched at his words, before there was the barest hint of a slump to her shoulders. But then she whirled around, eyes desperate as she snatched up one of his hands in both of hers. "Let's go! Please!" she all but begged.

His eyes widened and he took a step back. "Go? Who go? Go where?"

"You and me! Your dark portals, that's how you got us here, right? We can use those to get to other worlds and we can search for her! For where the Organization is holding her captive!"

"Oh." Axel averted his gaze, scratching the back of his head. "...I'm not sure that's such a good id-"

"Please! She's my sister." Her voice almost broke.

His gaze flicked down to where she still had a firm hold on his hand, her grip tightening. Normally, Snowflake wasn't big on the touchy-feelies. So it wasn't lost on him that this gesture, insignificant though it may appear, was in fact a big deal. Intentional too, and one that had probably taken a lot to bring herself to do. She was trying to get a point across, convey how much this meant to her and the depth of her resolve.

Plus… it made his hand tingle beneath her slender fingers.

…she was probably just giving him frostbite through his glove. Had to be it.

Clearing his throat, he gently freed himself from her grasp and sighed with a shake of his head. "Sorry, Snowflake, no can do."

"But I can," a new voice purred.

They both jumped as a giggle filled the air. Then a Corridor of Darkness exploded into existence a few paces away from them and out sauntered a figure in a black cloak almost identical to the one Axel wore. The blonde with a very distinctive signature hairdo came to a stop, jutting a hip out to one side and planting a hand on it as she smirked at them both.

"Larxene!" Axel snarled, immediately moving to stand between her and Snowflake. He whipped a hand out to his side, trying to call his keyblade to him. Flames sparked and swirled in his palm, but ultimately sputtered out with a puff of smoke, leaving him empty handed. He released a frustrated hiss through his teeth.

Great. Flipping fantastic. Perfect time for the dumb thing to call in a sick day.

"Aw, experiencing some performance issues, Firecracker?" Larxene pouted, using a finger to mime a tear rolling down her cheek. "Poor baby, you must be _so_ embarrassed! Don't worry, I'm sure it happens to all guys every now and then."

One corner of his lip curling in a sneer, he now stretched his arms wide in either direction, fingers splayed. Fires roared to life in both his hands, spinning at blinding speeds before erupting into his chakrams. Pointing one of them at her, he bit out, "Big mistake showing your face around here. You got exactly five seconds to slink your sorry rear back to whatever wall socket you crawled out of before I-"

"What did you mean?" Elsa asked the newcomer, stepping up beside Axel as she scrutinized her.

He grit his teeth. "Snowflake? What are you doing?" His eyes kept flicking up to the top of the tower, silently praying someone, _anyone _would take one damn measly second to glance out of one of those dumb little moon-shaped windows and realize they were currently playing host to an unwanted visitor.

Larxene ignored him, gracing the other woman with a half-grin. "You've caused me so much trouble, little queen. We've spent days scouring other worlds for you. It was only blind chance that I just so happened to peek in on ol' Master Conehead's little tower here at this exact moment to see if the goody-goodies were up to anything interesting. Imagine my shock to find you here, slumming it up with this loser."

She lifted her chin ever so slightly. "When Axel told me he couldn't help me, you said you could. I ask again. What did you mean?"

"Oh, that," she shrugged, inspecting her nails. "Today's your lucky day, sweetie. I know exactly where your sister is and I'll only be pleased as punch to take you right to her. All you have to do is come willingly."

"Don't listen to her!" Axel growled. "She's with the Organization!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Snowflake shot back before looking away with a frown. "But Anna… she needs me…"

Eyes crinkling, Larxene cooed, "That's right. She's been so sad and scared and alone without her big sister there to protect her. Besides, you're a total badass with that ice magic of yours, right? Surely once you get there, you can beat up all us baddies and save the day, no problem." She stretched out a hand to her. "So just be a good girl now and come with me."

Elsa clasped her own hand to her chest and hesitated, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. A few long seconds ticked by. Then her expression hardened and she took another step towards Larxene, her fingers reaching towards the other's.

"Nope." A high pitched metallic whine pierced the air. Larxene's head snapped up with a scowl and her palm sparked with electricity, summoning knifes between her knuckles and raising them just in time to parry the blazing chakram coming straight for her before it could get all close and personal with her skull. "Nuh uh." Axel chucked his other arm forward, sending his second chakram on another high speed collision course with Larxene. "Not happening." He grabbed Snowflake's hand and threaded their fingers together before bolting, throwing a wall of fire up behind them to block Larxene, buying them the precious few seconds he knew they'd need.

"Wha-?!" Elsa yelped before stumbling into a run to keep up. It was that or be dragged. "What are you doing?! You can't just-"

"I can and I did. Deal with it!" He snapped back before thrusting a hand forward. A Corridor of Darkness burst forth in front of them, blacks and purples churning within its depths. "Hold tight and don't let go, Snowflake. We're blowing this popsicle stand!"

"No!" Elsa cried, trying to jerk her hand out of his grasp but to no avail. Still being forcibly pulled along, she glanced back over her shoulder. The final sight of this planet she saw was Larxene surging forward through the raging flames, daggers fanned out in both hands, lightning flying every direction as a snarl twisted her face. And then Larxene, the tower, the world, everything was swallowed in an all consuming black.

* * *

_**A/N:** THE ADVENTURE BEGINS! Hope ya'll enjoyed that chapter, it was pretty fun to write! Side note regarding Elsa's new duds, they're her outfit from the Frozen 2 trailer! So if I did a fail job describing them, just go check that out and you'll get a better idea of what they're supposed to look like xD The ponytail is also from that trailer, tho I get the feeling it's only for that one scene of the movie and not a permanent thing, but she's gonna be rocking the ponytail for a while now in this fic, cuz you know what? She looks hella cute with it, fight me! And what'd I tell ya? All the cameos this chapter! It was kind of a struggle to fit them all in and make sure everyone had a chance to be included in the conversation without it getting too messy and crowded, but I think I pulled it off! And then there's Larxene... that badass babe is always a pleasure to write xD In any case, it's off to a new world next chapter! Bet none of you can guess which one it'll be xD Regardless, I'm gonna warn ya now, Elsa is gonna be a bit peeved with Axel for taking away her chance to rescue Anna! Was it a dangerous thing for Elsa to try to do? Yes. Did Axel have every right to stop it? Yes. But Elsa is not going to care, and honestly, if roles were reversed and Axel had been in the same position to rescue Roxas or Isa or Xion (if he remembered her x'D) and it involved putting himself in danger, you know he would have done the same damn thing as Elsa and he would have been just as pissed if someone stopped him! So... just let Elsa be mad for a lil bit and don't judge her too harshly for it, capiche? People aren't perfect! Let them be flawed and, in fact, love them for those flaws, damnit! Alright, rant over xD Sorry, I just could already see possible complaints coming from a mile away, so I wanted to just try and nip it in the bud and get ya'll mentally prepared for what's to come!_

_As always, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the glorious and magnificent **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being spectacular betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Mad Oni**, **Spiderfan626**, **SoraKairiRikuNamine**, **Daughter of Kyne**, __**ScarletEmperor **__and one anonymous **Guest** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated and your support really means everything to me! The depths of your kindness knows no bounds, I'm not worthy! Also, quick note to that anonymous guest - I like to PM my thanks to all my reviewers if I can, but I could not with you since you were on anon, so you get your reply here! Don't worry, more positive/passive/neutral interactions are coming between these two! That said, as mentioned earlier, things are about to get a bit... angrier first xD BUT AFTER THAT I swear to you things will start to smooth out between our happy couple and in fact start to warm up a bit ;) And hey, you did get a Kairi cameo this chapter and her teasing did get our dear Axel a tad flustered xP In any case, I'm so glad you're enjoying my story so far, and must apologize, because the waits between chapters are about to get a bit longer I'm afraid Dx But we'll get to that in a sec, cuz first..._

_IT'S FUN FACT TIME: This chapter used to have a completely different last half to it! I mean, it still ended the same, with Axel and Elsa in a Corridor popping off to a new world, but the journey up to that point was QUITE a bit different xD But with Elsa being officially a Princess of Heart now as of KH3, and my original version of this chapter being written before I knew that and so she was NOT a Princess of Heart when I was writing it the first time, the last half of this chapter needed some serious changes due to that. In fact, the original second half got completely scrapped and I started over from scratch! I wonder if anyone (who hasn't read the original xD You know who you are!) can tell the exact point where the new half that was added begins? Hopefully if I did my job well, the transition is seamless and you cannot spot it xD But if anyone wants to guess, I'll tell you right now that, no, it's not at the line break!_

_And now it is with a heavy heart I must inform you all that this is unfortunately the last of the pre-written chapters I have prepared. Pre-written chapters are the best and the very reason why I was able to give ya'll updates so quickly! To those of you that this is the first story by me that you're reading, you know those sloths from Zootopia? I sadly must say I write stories about as quickly as they would xD No joke. Dead serious. So you're about to be in for a bit of a wait for the upcoming chapters, I'm so sorry! That said, I've been hard at work on chapter 11 and it's getting real close to being done, so I hope to have it ready for you soon! Not "in 3 days" soon, but still... soon... ish xD And in fact, chapter 11 is turning out longer than I expected and the more I look at it, the more it feels like too much for one chapter, so chapter 11 is probably going to become chapter 11 and 12. So when I DO complete it, I'll actually have 2 new chapters for you, yaaaaaay! But after that... expect longer waits between updates... ehehehehehe, so sorry! Trust me when I say I do my damnedest tho to get these updates to you as quickly as possible! All that being said, now would be a great time for you to **follow** and **fave** this story (if you haven't already) so you know exactly when the next update is out :3 Be sure to keep an eye on my profile too, I (try to, at least) keep it updated with whatever I'm currently working on and how close it is to being complete! And while you wait, maybe reading some of my other Axel x Elsa stories will tide you over ;D_

_Whew, long AN this time! Sorry, didn't mean for it to get away from me like that, but once you get me rambling, it's hard to make me stop! Thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies! Much love, peace out, and catch ya'll on the flip side!_


	11. Chapter 11

Elsa could practically _feel_ the shadows clinging to her, the sensation making her skin crawl and her stomach churn. The air was stifling here, making it harder to breathe, like being smothered under a pillow. Blackness flowed all around her, seeming to go on forever. It was like when she had been stolen away from Arendelle, except now that she wasn't in a confused, blind panic, her eyes seemed to adapt to the darkness somewhat. Now she noticed wisps of color and light mixed into the void, seeming to dance about in a way that was almost enchanting.

Looking to her feet, she did not find ground beneath them, only more of the same. It was almost as if she floated through the endless abyss, but she definitely felt the soles of her boots pounding against _something_, invisible though it may have been. Stranger still, that's not all that she found when she looked down.

There seemed to be some sort of faint aura coming off her.

Was she… glowing?

Eyes forward once more, they met with Axel's back. Her hand was still in his vice-like grip as he charged ahead and it was all she could do just to keep up. She didn't know how long they ran through the darkness. It felt like it could have been scant minutes or an eternity. Time seemed to lose all meaning in this place. All she knew was that one second the void stretched on as far as the eye could see, the next she was practically blinded as they were plunged into abrupt sunlight.

Releasing a soft hiss in surprise, she squeezed her eyes shut, staggered to a stop and wrenched her hand back, causing his hold around it to loosen before at last releasing altogether. Immediately, she covered her eyes, shielding them from the brightness.

The air felt normal again as she inhaled deep and gulped it down. Running through that horrid den of shadows? _Terrible_ idea, simply the absolute worst. Few seconds more of that and she feared she would have passed out. She could hear heavy breathing from Axel as well, along with the distant melody of song birds and what sounded like babbling water nearby. A creek perhaps? Slowly she lowered her fingers and, vision still adjusting to the light, cautiously cracked one eye open, then the other.

First to snap into focus were her palms still inches from her face. She squinted down at them, flipping them over. There no longer seemed to be a luminescence about her. Huh… had she imagined it? Regardless, there was no time to puzzle over it. Letting her hands fall to her sides, she glanced around.

It seemed they were at the bottom of some sort of canyon. Sheer cliff walls rose high overhead and a gentle stream did indeed trickle past where they stood on its grassy banks. It flowed onward to a point where the gorge grew narrow and was blocked by what appeared to be the pieces of a shattered stone column, the water weaving its way underneath. To the left of it, a path lay open leading away from the brook. To the right on the opposite shore, a statue - or rather, what was left of it. She imagined the thing would have been massive were it still whole, but now all that remained was one stone foot that was bigger than her entire body.

"Where are we?" she murmured, looking upstream to spot the remnants of more statues dotting the banks and the soft glimmers of what could possibly be a slender waterfall far off in the distance.

His breathing now normalizing, Axel took one more deep inhale before puffing it back out and planting his hands on his hips. "Dunno!"

Her eyes darted to meet his. "You don't know?!"

"Nope!" he beamed and shrugged. "Should make it a bit harder for lil Miss Bug-Zapper to figure out where we escaped to. If I didn't even know where I was going, how the hell was she supposed to? Just ran through the Corridors until I found some rando world to pop outta." He grinned, tapping a finger to the side of his head, "That's using the ol' noggin!"

Her hands slowly balled into fists. "Of all the stupid… idiotic… moronic-"

"Hey there, woah now!" He raised his hands defensively with a frown. "I'm a big damn hero, okay? How about a thank you for saving your life, huh?"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe I didn't _want_ it to be saved?!" she snarled up at him.

"So what was I supposed to do?" He asked, hunching forward to meet her gaze, jabbing a finger towards her face. "Just _let_ you get nabbed by Larxene? Maybe you missed the memo, but she's one the the bad guys!"

Specks of ice and snow began to drift down and whirl around her. "She was going to take me to Anna! I could have saved her!" The corners of her eyes began to prickle. She had been so close, so _damn_ close! "Take me back! Take me back right now! Maybe that woman's still there and I can-"

"Can what? Get taken prisoner? Sorry, but not on my watch. I know you're a little behind, so here's the cliff notes version to catch you up. Me," he jerked a thumb into his chest, "keyblade wielder. You," he pointed at her again, "Princess of Heart. I protect you and keep you from doing something dumb like serving yourself up to the enemy on a silver platter, got it memorized?"

Again with this Princess of Heart nonsense. She'd heard him use the term earlier as well when she had been listening through the door back at the tower. What exactly was a Princess of Heart and what did it have to do with her? Or with anything, for that matter?

...you know what? She didn't care. It was currently beside the point. "You will return me to that tower this instant," she repeated, grounding the words out between her teeth, this time in a dangerously low voice.

"You really want to be cellmates with your sister that bad? Oh yah, whole lotta good that'll do her."

The snowflakes began to pick up speed in their frenzied dance as she shouted back, "I would have been fine, I can take care of myself! You had no right-"

"I had every right, especially with you acting like a total bonehead!" He straightened up once more, his eyelids drooping as he folded his arms beneath his chest. "Listen, maybe back on your world, you were some big fish in a little pond, but you're in the ocean now, Snowflake, and there are tons of things out here that are bigger and badder and a whole lot nastier than you. The Organization would have gobbled you up for breakfast. You're no match for them, you would have just gotten yourself captured."

"You don't know that!"

He tossed his hands up in frustration, "But I do! Trust me, you have no idea what you're up against! I know these people way better than you do."

She paused, her eyes narrowing as she regarded him, the blades of grass at her feet beginning to glaze over with frost. "...because you're one of them?"

He blinked, head rocking back slightly. "What?"

"You weave portals from darkness like the ones they used to kidnap Anna and me." She gestured to his long black coat, "You dress like them. Are you working with them too?"

Axel curled his fingers in a strangling motion that appeared to be directed at her, only to abruptly relax his muscles and plaster a smile to his face. His gaze drifted skyward as he poked a finger to his chin and said sweetly, "Help me out here, cuz I just can't quite remember. There was this thing I did not five minutes ago, now what was it? Oh, that's right…" He threw his arms out wide towards her and snapped, "I _rescued_ you!"

She stood her ground, not even so much as flinching at the outburst. "Then explain it to me! Why do you wear their uniform? Why do you share in their control over the shadows?"

He made a noise deep in his throat that was part growl, part huff. "Listen, I'm not with the Organization, okay? There's a whole lot more to the story that you don't know here and frankly I don't have the time to-"

His words were swallowed up by a thunderous, resounding boom that shook them both to their very cores. They looked in the direction it had come from, only for a fierce wall of wind to come rushing down the path branching off from the creek, striking them both hard. They staggered back but managed to brace themselves and remain standing, their clothes flapping wildly about them. The gust died down almost as quickly as it had materialized.

That's when they saw it off in the distance.

A foul looking miasma rising up from the horizon in a surging column, a chorus of spine-chilling wails accompanying it. Seeming to crash against the very sky, it gathered itself in a churning concoction of pitch blacks, dark violets, and deep crimsons. It swirled faster and faster, convulsing in on itself tighter and tighter before abruptly bursting apart, huge chunks of it flying off in all different directions.

"What the…?" Elsa muttered. Then Axel had suddenly hooked his hand through her elbow and yanked her along with him as he took off running straight for the source of whatever wickedness they had just witnessed. "Hey!" she snapped, feeling her toe snag on a rock but catching herself before she could trip. "What exactly do you think you're doing?!"

Not slowing down, he cast her a sidelong glance. "Weren't you listening? I'm a hero! And that right there had hero business written all over it! As much fun as this little shouting match between us is, I'm calling a timeout. There could be people that need help!"

She rolled her eyes. "Alright fine, but why are you dragging me along with you?"

"Because you have shown that you can't be left unsupervised. So until you prove to me that you won't go skipping off with the next baddie to bat their eyelashes your way, I hafta play babysitter and keep you close. Don't go getting any funny ideas now. Keep in mind, I'm your only ticket off this rock, so you'll wanna stay on my good side."

She scowled, but merely pressed her lips together into a thin line and said nothing. Once again, some of the vernacular had been lost on her, but she'd gathered enough of the idea from context. His dark portals had brought her here and they were currently her only option to leave as well. She wouldn't be able to help Anna if Axel decided to strand her on this unfamiliar world. So she'd have to play along… for now, at least.

Besides, with his fingers still firmly wrapped around her arm, it appeared she had little choice but to follow closely beside him as he charged down the pathway, quickly leaving the little stream behind them. Turning at a bend in the trail, they got their first glimpses of an expansive, sprawling city they were fast approaching. The rough dirt road beneath their feet quickly gave way to cobblestone streets, the high jagged crags around them to massive man-made structures comprised of marble columns. Urns of various shapes and sizes appeared to decorate every corner of the place and were embellished with angular artwork depicting heroic events, brave people, and fantastic beasts.

They were closing in on the heart of this thriving metropolis, which seemed to be where that horrific spectacle had taken place. The further they went, the thicker the throng of city dwellers became. Everyone's attention was drawn towards something up ahead and the people were shouldering each other to get closer for a better look. Probably a good sign that the two of them were indeed going in the right direction. Being just about the furthest thing from small in stature, Axel had no problem carving his way through the crowd, still tugging Elsa along behind him. As they drew near, she started to make out a voice from up ahead that was shouting to be heard over the din of everyone else.

"Alright people, show's over! Nothing to see here! Quit with the lallygagging and move it along! Give the guy some room to work, will ya? Jeeze, you'd think you all never-"

They at last pushed through the front row of the crowd, stumbling out the other side and straight into the owner of the gruff voice, which turned out to be a squat, hairy little man.

Elsa blinked, doing a double take.

Rather... half man, half…

...goat?

And he appeared to be naked no less, ugh!

From the waist up he was human for the most part, barring the pair of curled horns sprouting out the top of his mostly bald head. Thankfully, a thick mass of fur began just below his overhanging belly, going all the way down to his cloven hooves. The peculiar creature glared up at them and used the back of his hand to smack Axel's knee, which appeared to be the highest target he could reach. "Watch where you're walking, pal! Now get lost!"

Looking past the small irate individual, Elsa spotted what the rest of the people gathered round all seemed to be so intrigued by. She squinted, not quite sure what she was looking at. It appeared to be a young man… wrestling a box.

...other planets were strange, _strange_ places.

He had short blonde curly hair held up by a headband, and was just simply a mountain of muscles beneath the brown tunic he wore. His chiseled features were set into a snarl as he crouched low, struggling to hold down a dark purple box with obsidian trimming and an ornamental skull on the side. The small chest shivered and quaked, bouncing about underneath the man's hands, the lid cracking open just a teeny bit with each hop before he would press down with all his might to slam it shut again.

"We're here to help!" Axel proclaimed, pulling Elsa's attention back to him as he puffed up his chest and planted his free hand on one hip. She took the opportunity to yank her arm free of his other hand. He looked at her with a frown, pointing two fingers at his eyes, then at her. She merely huffed out a sigh through her nose and crossed her arms.

The goatman scoffed. "Oh, you think so, do you? Beat it! We don't need no stinking help from no amateurs!"

"But-"

"Maybe your hearing's not so good, buddy," he sneered up at him, then pointed at his own mouth. "Then read my lips. Two words: take a hike!"

Apparently the people of this world didn't know how to count.

Turning his back to them, the goatman began to march away. Axel narrowed his eyes as he looked down for a second, then brightened and lifted his face once more. "Wait! We're friends with Sora!"

The man fighting to subdue the box looked up sharply. "You two know S-" He was interrupted by the chest slipping out of his grasp and springing up to ram him square in his jaw. Gritting his teeth, he body slammed the thing back down to the ground.

His hooves having stopped mid-step, the goatman turned to face them once more, one eyebrow cocked as he stroked his scruff of a beard. "Sora, eh? That kid could come in real handy right about now. Where is he, anyway?"

"Not here," Axel said before wagging an index finger back and forth between Elsa and himself. "But we are. So unclench there, Fuzzbucket, and tell us what's going on already."

He gave them both a dull stare. "What's youse twos' names, anyhow?"

Releasing an impatient sigh, he placed a hand on his chest. "Axel, got it memorized?" He then gestured to her, "And that's Sno-"

"_Elsa_," she cut in loudly, shooting him a look.

He grinned and shrugged before turning his gaze back down to the shaggy little creature. "And you would be?"

His mouth opened but before he could utter so much as a syllable, someone else was shouting, "Phil!" The voice was female and had come from somewhere overhead. They all looked up to see something circling high above, its big silhouette outlined by the sun. The thing rushed into its descent, landing next to them in a whoosh of alabaster feathers. Tucking its wings in at its sides, the pure white horse with a blue mane glanced around, greeting them all with a soft whinny.

That's right. A horse. With _wings_.

Elsa rubbed her eyes, then looked again.

Nope. Still there.

Hopping off the back of the steed was a slender woman in a flowy lavender dress, her wavy brown hair pulled back into a long ponytail. She looked to the strong man, concern wrinkling her face as she breathed, "Wonderboy."

The goatman - or rather, Phil, it would seem - stepped in front of her. "Stay back, Meg, don't go distracting the boy!"

She looked down at him. "What happened? What was that… that..."

"Dark, unholy tower of doom?" he supplied dryly. "I'll be only too happy to fill you in once Alex and Ella here scram!"

Elsa snorted softly, smothering it behind one hand. Guess he hadn't memorized it.

Axel cast her a sour look before scowling down at Phil, hands clenching at his side as he snapped, "Hey!"

"Last thing we need is a couple of no good, wanna-be heroes running around, mucking stuff up and making everything worse! Now hit the road or I'll-"

"Just tell them already!" the other guy yelled from behind him. He was now hugging the box firmly to his chest, stumbling every time the thing gave a lurch to break free. His muscles strained as the container jerked again and he grunted out, "We can use all the help we can get!"

"But we can't just-"

"_Phil!_"

He threw up his hands in surrender. "Alright already, jeeze! No need to bite my head off!" Grumbling, he turned back to the other three and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "That thing my boy Herc is snuggling all cozy like with back there is Pandora's Box. All kinds of evils are locked inside it. Hatred, pain, disease, starvation, death, despair, fear, yada yada yada, you get the picture. That lil jewelry box from Tartarus was so dangerous that it got buried long ago so it could never be opened again. But then some knucklehead decided to dig it up and leave it lying around for a couple of snot nosed brats to find and pop its lid off. What you lot just saw moments ago was all that nastiness being set loose to wreak havoc on all of Thebes."

"But if everything escaped, why are Hercules and the box still doing the cha-cha over there?" Meg asked, frowning as she looked past Phil to the muscular fellow once again. "Sounds like Wonderboy has bigger fish to fry at the moment."

"Not _everything _got out. We got here just in time to slam the thing shut again, trapping the last one in. And it's an angry sucker too, it's taking all o' Herc's strength just to keep that bad boy in there. But that means we're now a body down in the fight to save the city from becoming nothing more than a smoldering pile of rubble."

"By my count, you're two bodies up." Axel dragged a reluctant Elsa forward to stand beside him, leaving little doubt as to which two he meant. "So go on, tell us how we're supposed to put Jack back in the box."

Phil raised his hands, "Hold it, hotshot! What makes you think you're even remotely qualified to be dealing with this sort of stuff?"

"How about this?" Axel stretched his arm out in front of him and with a smug little flourish, flames sparked and flared up from the palm of his hand.

Arms crossed and eyelids drooping, Phil seemed far from impressed. "...and?"

Axel's left eye ticked almost imperceptibly before his grin stretched a little wider and he closed his hand, extinguishing the small blaze with a hiss. "And how about this?" he asked, snapping his fingers.

Meg gasped. "Phil, your tail!"

"Huh?" he twisted at the waist to take a look only to discover a second fire had popped up, this one merrily crackling away at the tip of said tail. With a yelp, he hopped up and down, hands frantically patting out the flames. Axel snorted. Elsa facepalmed.

Some hero.

Fur singed and smoking but otherwise intact, Phil now glared up at his smirk. "Yuck it up, wise guy! I meant '_and_ what about _her?!'_" he jabbed a finger in Elsa's direction.

"Oh." He glanced over at her, "How 'bout it, Snowflake? Up for giving this fine gent a little demonstration?" She met his gaze, narrowed her eyes and said nothing. "No? Figured. Sorry, Fuzzbucket. I tried, but you know how divas can be sometimes. You say jump, they tell you to screw off. But trust me, once she's in the trenches, those things won't stand a chance against her. She's the real powerhouse here. She makes me look like a joke."

"You already do a bang up job of that on your own," Phil deadpanned.

He shrugged. "Whatever, are you gonna let us help or not?"

"Well…" he stretched out the word, his fingers tugging at his scraggly goatee once more.

"_Yes!_" Hercules called out desperately. The chest, still wrapped tightly in his arms, went for a sucker punch to his gut, forcing a pained _oof_ out of him as he fell flat on his back.

Phil flung his arms up in defeat. "Okay, okay, fine! I'll give you two rookies a shot, don't make me regret it! Listen good now, cuz I'm only gonna explain this once. Those evils are weak from being cooped up for so long, which has forced them to take physical forms. That means," he punched a fist into the palm of his other hand, "you can hurt 'em. But the longer they're free, the stronger they get. The stronger they get, the less damage they'll take. Soon they'll be impervious to your attacks, so you gotta move quick. Hunt those suckers down and take 'em out. After you KO them, the box'll do the rest and suck them back in. Once they're all inside, it should seal shut again."

"Alright," Axel nodded, "your classic Battle Royale. Last one standing wins. Seems straight forward enough. Just one question: how do we find these things?"

"Simple. Just follow the sound of screams and destruction."

"You can use Feathers here," Meg offered, gesturing with her chin towards the horse, who nickered in what sounded like agreement. "Get a bird's eye view of the city. Once you spot trouble, he can get you to it in no time."

"Perfect. Let's go, Snowflake," Axel placed his hand on the small of Elsa's back, trying to guide her forward, but she dug her heels in. He arched an eyebrow at her. "Problem?"

She pointed at the stallion. "That's a flying horse."

"...yes."

"You expect me… to get on a flying horse?"

"Uh…" His lips pursed to one side. "...yes?"

She took several steps back, shaking her head and waving her hands back and forth in front of her. "Oh no, no, no."

His hand closing around her wrist stopped her in her tracks and he dragged her forward. "Oh yes, yes, yes."

"You know," she grunted as she struggled to free herself from his grip, her boots scraping against the flagstones as he drew her ever closer to the steed, "I think I'd rather walk."

"Sorry, Snowflake, but we don't got time for that. Now upsy-daisy." Before she knew it, he'd grabbed her by the waist and hefted her up onto the horse's back, followed swiftly by vaulting himself on in front of her.

"Good luck, you two!" Meg called before slapping the stallion on the hindquarters and yelling, "Hyah!" The creature neighed and reared up on its haunches. Majestic wings spreading wide, it launched the three of them - willing participant or not - into the sky.

* * *

_**A/N:** I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack! This wasn't too terribly long of a wait hopefully? And good news! I did in fact end up splitting what was originally chapter 11 into what is now chapter 11 and 12, so you know what that means? I should hopefully have chapter 12 for you in just a few short days as well, yaaaaaaaaaaay! Hmmmm, what was up with the glowing while Elsa was in the Corridors of Darkness? I suspect most of you have probably already figured it out, but if not, it'll be discussed in story in a few chapters, but right now? Things are a bit too hectic for our couple to talk about such minor details xD And what'd I tell you? Elsa is NOT happy xD Lol. Again, hope ya'll can put yourself in her shoes and understand where she's coming from! Don't worry, she'll come around, but she's not quite done being mad just yet xP But shelving that for now cuuuuuuz oh em gee! They're on Olympus world! It's kind of funny - even tho Greek era is waaaaaay older than what would technically be Elsa's time period (around the 1800s), the way Disney Hercules dialogue was written, characters from this world will generally have a much easier time conversing with Axel and understanding his lingo than characters from Arendelle. Poor Elsa just can't catch a break x'D Side note, maybe you're wondering how Axel knew to mention Sora? That too will be explained... in a few chapters xD This brain o' mine is always ten steps ahead, trust me! Anyways... *le gasp* they must deal with (dun, dun, dun) Pandora's Box! Ever since I saw that scene in KH3 with Maleficent and Pete finding Pandora's Box and tossing it to one side, I KNEW I wanted to do something with that for this fic xD Tho I dunno if you guys know this, but it can be a bit of challenge imagining what physical shape the evils would take on for our pair to face off against xD We're not gonna see ALL the evils as I envision quite a lot escaped, but I have a few fun ones in mind that we will get to see, so hope you like them xD_

_As always, MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the outstanding and stunning **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being awesome betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Daughter of Kyne**, **ScarletEmperor**, **Spiderfan626**, and **SoraKairiRikuNamine** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated and your support really means everything to me! You all give me such joy and life, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Facts: No where in Greek myth is it really spelled out what's inside Pandora's Box beyond just the generalization of "evils that mankind suffer from". Different translations of the myth all include examples of what those evils are, but no two translations seem to agree and the list keeps changing between them, so I kind of just gathered everything from several different sources into one spot and used it for inspiration xD I was curious however and looked it up - turns out the Disney Hercules TV show did have an episode on Pandora's Box. In that episode, what was contained inside was the 7 Deadly Sins. While I do admit to some overlap between those and the abstract idea of general evils that mankind suffer from, the 7 Deadly Sins are more of a Christian thing and the idea of crossing that with Greek mythos was a lil weird to me, so I didn't quite go that route xD Still, the overlap is vaguely present with at least one of the evils I wrote, as you will see, but otherwise... I just went with stuff I thought might be fun xD Also, I originally pictured their visit to Olympus being a lot shorter and only taking 2 chapters - but with the first chapter here already getting split into 2, we saw how well that worked out xD Let's see if I can get it all to fit into 3 chapters instead. Ideally, I plan for most world visits to be about 3 chapters, 4 tops. Maybe that sounds short, but I have a decent amount of worlds planned, and at 3-4 chapters per world, that adds up REAL quick. I don't want this story to just go on forever and ever and ever x'D (okay actually I kinda do, but only if it were someone else doing the hard work of writing it all xP) In any case, it'll be a interesting comparing how many chapters I planned for each world to how many chapters ACTUALLY end up getting written, as I'm sure Olympus won't be the only time this happens lawl._

_Anyway, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and keep it real!_


	12. Chapter 12

Elsa had never believed herself to be afraid of heights. Come on, she'd conjured her ice palace at the highest peak of the tallest mountain in all of Arendelle's domain, for crying out loud! But her palace had had walls and railings to keep her safe. This horse had neither walls nor railings. For that matter, it didn't even have a saddle. No bridle, no stirrups, nothing between her and a long, _long _drop to the ground below that was getting further and further away by the second.

She had no idea when it had happened, but suddenly she became very aware of the fact that her arms were latched around Axel's waist and hanging on for dear life. Speaking of which, seeing as he was the only thing keeping her on the horse, she had to wonder what was keeping _him _on the horse. After all, as previously stated, there was no bridle. On second thought… best not to think about it. Her nails dug into the fabric of his cloak at his chest, flecks of frost creeping out from beneath her fingertips. She could feel the wind tugging at her ponytail as she squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face into his back. The warm scent of leather and burnt timber filled her nostrils.

It was… oddly comforting...

"Gonna need you to loosen the grip just a tad there, Snowflake. Loving the enthusiasm, but you gotta let a man breathe," she heard him say, feeling the words rumble through his chest. With some effort, she relaxed her arms, but just barely. "Ah, sweet, sweet oxygen! Now, if I were a big nasty looking to shake things up in this town, where would I- Ah ha! There!"

Against her better judgement, Elsa turned her head so she could peek one eye open.

Yup. Immediate regret.

Thebes was a massive city, stretching as far as the eye could see. The buildings below seemed tiny as they rushed past in a blur beneath their feet. Swallowing hard, her gaze followed to where his finger pointed. A few blocks over from where they flew, a gargantuan dust cloud was billowing up from what seemed to be a sizable opening between several large structures. There definitely appeared to be some sort of disturbance going on there.

Spotting it at the same time, their steed winnied and swooped around.

Oh dear lord, it wasn't about to-

She felt a sharp jolt as the horse took an abrupt dive straight for the indicated location. All perception of gravity became completely lost on her and the awkward feeling of her stomach trying to rise up into her ribcage was far from pleasant. The wind battered against her ears as her mount raced downward and she screwed her eyes shut once more, her hold on Axel tightening tenfold. To hell with his selfish desire to breathe! He gave up that right the minute he'd forced her into this whole mess!

She waited for it all to end. For their inevitable, bone-crushing demise as nothing more than bloody stains splattered across the flagstones. Only… it never came. One second, she was feeling movement all around her, was hearing the shrill rush of air... the next, all was still and there was nothing to be heard beyond the gentle _thump-thump_ of a heartbeat against her cheek.

Strange… was this what death felt like?

"Aw shucks, I'm flattered. Didn't know you cared so much!" Axel's voice chirped.

At that, her eyes snapped open. They were no longer airborne, the horse's hooves resting atop solid ground once more and the buildings now back where they belonged, stretching high overhead. With a start, she realized she was still hugging the life out of the redhead, despite the now total and complete absence of imminent death. Feeling her face heat in embarrassment, she snatched back her arms and jerked away from him before shoving herself off the stallion, choosing not to even dignify his statement with a response.

As her boots met earth once more, she did her best to hide the slight wobble to her knees while she dusted herself off with a tiny scowl. She refused to look at him as she heard his feet hit the ground as well beside her. Then there was a loud _fwoosh_ followed by a brief burst of air hitting her back.

"Hey hey hey!" Axel shouted and she turned just in time to see the horse take off into the air once more and fly away. He frowned, using a hand to shield his eyes against the sun, watching the creature disappear behind the city skyline. "Well shoot, our pinto just flew the coop." He looked to her and she returned his gaze with a blank stare.

He shrugged then began to walk, "Eh, probably nothing to worry about. Hopefully it's just looking for the next target while we wipe the floor with this one. Speaking of," he glanced around the gigantic, eerily empty city square that he now stepped into, the only remnants of the previous upheaval they'd spotted being the last few traces of dust settling, "where is this thing? How are we supposed to clobber it if it's too chicken to show its big ugly-"

"What's this 'we' business you keep going on about?" she cut his words off sharply as she jogged to catch up and stand in his path. "I'm only here because you made me come with you, but there's no way I'm letting you drag me any further into this madness! You got yourself into this, and you can get yourself out! The only thing I'm interested in is rescuing Anna!"

He blinked down at her a couple times, then his lip curled with a soft _tch_ as he folded his arms behind his head and strode past her. "You're still on about that? Look, Larxene is probably long gone by now, that ship has sailed. What are you so mad about anyway? You wanted to go to other worlds, didn't you? Well, here you are, courtesy of yours truly. Now just look at it this way: the quicker you get on board and give me a hand with all of this, the faster it'll get done. And the faster it gets done, the sooner we can figure out our next best step."

"That's not good enough! My sister-"

He rounded on her, "Your sister can wait! Whatever plans the Organization have for her, they won't act on them until they have all of the New Seven Hearts! But there are people who need our help, right here, right now! Gah, you're a Princess of Heart, for Pete's sake, act like one!"

She bristled at that and squared her shoulders. "I don't know what it means to be a Princess of Heart or how one is supposed to act, and I don't care! I also don't care about these people, let someone else save them!"

"We both know you don't mean that! Come on, you're better than this, you have to be! It's who you are as a Pr-"

"Stop saying who or what I'm supposed to be and what I'm supposed to do! You don't know me, you don't-"

She was suddenly silenced as he clamped a hand over her mouth and held a finger up to his lips with a soft, "Shhhhh!"

Nostrils flaring, she swatted his hand away. "Don't you shush m-"

His palm was covering her lips once more. "I said quiet!" he hissed, eyes darting about before glancing over his shoulder. "...do you hear that?"

At first, the only sound her ears were met with was a breeze rustling through the trees and other greenery decorating the courtyard's edges here. But then she heard it. A distant _tap tap tap_ of feet pounding against the ground, the noise faintly echoing off and around the surrounding buildings. She looked past Axel, following his gaze to the far end of the square. There, having just turned a corner to come into view, were a couple of children coming straight for them. A girl that could be no more than eight or nine years old and a boy that was even younger. They certainly seemed to be in a rush to get to wherever they were going.

Turning away from her to face them, Axel cupped his hands to his mouth and called out to them, "Yo! Squirts! Seen anything strange or out of the ordinary around here, like, say, I dunno… a grotesque abomination of horrors and suffering?"

They didn't respond, just kept running. Elsa squinted at them.

...something was wrong.

The little boy tripped over his own sandals and fell, propping himself up on his elbows and glancing behind him, panting with his eyes wide. His friend stopped, but only long enough to bend down and grab his hands, jerking him back up to his feet, her own feet scrambling frantically as she almost fell backwards herself. Then they were on the move again.

Wait… they weren't trying to get somewhere... they were trying to get _away_.

That's when she became aware of another sound. A low, droning buzz that was far off, but fast approaching and getting louder. It suddenly erupted into a deafening roar as behind the children, rounding the same corner they just had seconds ago, rushed a vast, scarlet swarm of what appeared to be strange insects. They flew quick, spreading out like a dense fog, with still more flooding in behind them with no apparent end in sight. The cloud snaked about in the air, swirling around trees and bushes before moving on, leaving all in their wake stripped bare all the way down to the roots.

Axel's eyes widened. "Oh… there it is."

Elsa managed to tear her gaze away from those things to look at him. "_That's_ the Evil?!"

"Well, it's certainly not good!"

Her brow furrowed. "But… which one could it even be?"

He shrugged. "Hell if I know, but best guess? Starvation? Famine? Gluttony? However you want to spin it, that thing has a serious case of the munchies. Seems to be eating the whole city out of house and home! Did you see what it did to those plants? They never even stood a chance. Hate to see what'd happen if it catches up to those kids."

A tiny gasp escaped her. "You think it'd… _eat_ them too?"

"Don't particularly want to find out. Alright, Snowflake," he rolled his shoulders and gestured her forward with a crook of his neck, "it's showtime."

"No."

His spine snapped straight at that, as he glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "No?!" he asked incredulously, turning fully to look at her now.

Behind him, the two little ones had made it about halfway across the square, and the look of being just about ready to pass out from exhaustion was plain on their faces. The sky ever darkened as more of those bugs filled it. Every now and then, the things would veer off course to reduce another shrub down to nothing, which slowed them down, but not enough. The swarm was fast closing the distance between itself and those kids. Elsa looked from the terrifying scene to Axel, meeting his exasperated gaze. Her own anger had drained from her, now replaced with a burning deep within her chest, shallow breaths, and a tremor in her hands. She was quick to hide it by curling her fingers into fists.

He scoffed. "You're telling me you'd sit on the sidelines and do _nothing_ rather than lift one measly damn finger to help th-"

"No, I can't!" she shouted over him, looking down and squeezing her eyes shut. "I can't! I _can't _help them! My powers don't help people, they only hurt them!"

His head rocked back at the outburst and he blinked. You could see it in his face, he was now connecting the dots. "...is _that_ what this has been about this whole time? You think you can't help because you're afraid you'll hurt them?" She said nothing, just kept her eyes averted. "C'mon, you've used your powers to save others before, haven't you? What about when the Heartless invaded your castle? Didn't you say you used your magic to fight them off and defend your people?"

A bitter frown twisted her lips and she shook her head. "Everyone had already fled. I could fight without fear of harming anyone."

He raked his fingers through his hair with a frustrated growl. "You didn't seem too shy about trying to put me on ice when we first met."

She winced. "...I thought you were a Heartless."

His head tipped to one side. "Even after my hood was knocked back?"

"_Especially_ after your hood was knocked back."

"Ouch."

She turned her back to him. "You better hurry. Those children need you. I'd only make everything worse."

"...nope. Not good enough." He suddenly grabbed her by the ponytail and tugged, causing her to yelp and stumble backwards. His grip holding firm, she had little choice but to follow awkwardly in reverse as he all but dragged her further into the square, grumbling, "We don't have time for your little pity party, so I'm gonna need you to put on your big girl pants and goddamn help me cuz I can't do it on my own."

Giving her a half-spin and a tiny shove, he released her and she staggered to a stop, facing the kids and their pursuers once more. She rubbed the fresh sore spot at the back of her head with a grimace and looked to him. "But-"

"No buts! Now listen up and take some notes. School's back in session." He raised his right hand, staring down at his upturned palm before his expression hardened and he gave a slight shake of his head. Then he flung out both arms in opposite directions, summoning his chakrams in whirling bursts of fire. "Lesson Two: Get Over Yourself and Save People!"

With that, he took off running, leaving Elsa gaping after him. The children were so close now, but those creatures were mere inches behind them, practically tickling the hairs at the backs of their necks. Flames ignited and swirled down Axel's arms, setting his weapons ablaze as he yelled, "Duck!" He chucked his arms forward, one after the other, flinging the chakrams through the air. The kids only had a split second to react, bending down and not breaking stride as the two searing metal rings whooshed through where their heads had just been. Then the weapons collided with the thick cloud of insects in a fiery explosion, frying a large chunk of them and sending their smoldering husks to the ground. The chakrams then emerged from the smoke and ash, shooting straight up and leaving a trail of flames in their wake that shaved off the front runners of the swarm and temporarily blocked the legions behind them, giving the children some much needed breathing room.

"Go, go, go!" Axel barked, waving the two kids through as they ran past him before he pointed to Elsa. "Get to her! She'll keep you safe!"

"What?!" she snapped. The children made a beeline for her, the girl doubling over to catch her breath upon reaching her side, the little boy's knees giving out as he toppled forward and crashed into Elsa's leg which he immediately clung to. Elsa's wide eyes darted back and forth between them a couple times before shifting back up to lock on Axel. "I did not agree to this!"

"Sorry, can't hear you over the sound of my own heroism!" he called back with a half-smirk, reaching out his arms in front of him. "Eat this, pests!" he shouted and from his palms burst enormous gouts of flame, puncturing holes deep into the chaotic mass of those vile critters. His hands moved in sweeps and arcs, causing the fire streams to blur with the motion and scorch pathways through the swarm. Any time the insects would try to close in on him, he was quick to shift the flames to cut them off. Meanwhile his chakrams still burned bright and darted about as if they had minds of their own, dancing circles around each other, weaving their own twisted trail through the multitudes and sending more of those bugs up in smokes.

Despite his efforts, it seemed to Elsa like he was hardly making a dent in their numbers. Gnawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she glanced down at the kids once more. She wanted to tell them to go, to run, to get as far away as humanly possible from this place. But one look at their tired faces and she knew there was no way they could even take so much as another step without collapsing. They hadn't had enough time yet to rest and regain their strength.

Elsa lifted her gaze once more and that's when she spotted it. A gigantic mess of those things had managed to break off from the rest, shooting off like a tendril from the main body. They were coming straight for her and the children. She inhaled sharply.

She had to do something!

Hearing her heart pounding in her ears, she looked down at her hands.

But… what if… what if one of the children got caught in the crossfire? What if her magic struck them in the head and they fell unconscious and defenseless? What if ice pierced their heart and their whole body froze over solid? What if she hit any other number of vital organs that could cause repercussions she couldn't even begin to fathom? What if-

Taking a deep breath and releasing it, Elsa silenced her fears with a scowl.

_Don't think, just do._

"Stay behind me, little ones," she ordered fiercely before lunging forward a step and slicing a hand up, fingers splayed. A glacial barricade erupted from the ground before her, rushing up just in time for the swarm to slam up against it. Some of the insects immediately splattered on impact. Most however slid around to the left and right of it, like a turbulent river being forced to part around a boulder. The swarm charged past her and the children on both sides, their buzzing disturbing the air and making her ponytail fly in the unnatural wind they were generating.

The creatures were so near now that Elsa could see that they were actually not insects at all. They were nightmarish little things that had no eyes, no bodies, no legs. No, their entire being was wholly comprised of nothing more than a pair of small, gnarled wings attached to a ghastly mouth filled with rows upon rows of jagged teeth. She shuddered as she watched hundreds of the little monsters pass her by. Perhaps Axel's theory as to which Evil this might be hadn't been too far off.

The two halves of the airborne army to either side of them curved inward and merged together once more behind the kids. Then the swarm swooped around into an about-face and surged back towards the three of them.

"Get down!" Elsa heard herself shouting, her hands thrusting out in front of her before she could even allow herself to question the action. The children did not need to be told twice, immediately throwing themselves to the floor even as a barrage of frozen spikes launched off from Elsa's fingertips. They streaked through the air, over her charges and straight into those monsters, ripping them to shreds.

She did not let up on her assault, gritting her teeth as she rapid-fired more sharp icicles into what seemed to be a never ending stream of those things, just barely managing to keep them at bay. At last the tiny beasts determined this was getting them nowhere and those still intact veered off, dispersing and spreading out to try to ambush her and the kids from all sides. Elsa struggled to keep up, slinging icebolts left and right, taking out any of these smaller clusters that got too close.

When she felt something brush against her back, a chill ran down her spine and her heart nearly stopped. They'd managed to break through her guard! She'd failed! This was it, the-

"Look at you go, you're a natural! A pro! Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Elsa stiffened, then glanced over her shoulder to discover it wasn't the swarm at all, but rather a certain familiar redhead standing back to back with her. Axel didn't look at her, his focus remaining zeroed in on roasting these demons to a crisp. However, she didn't miss the smug little grin tugging at one corner of his lips. She made no reply, but couldn't help a tiny smile of her own as she looked straight ahead once more and returned to shooting off frost blasts, taking care to not hit the chakrams whenever they rushed passed in a sizzling blur.

She was pouring every last ounce of concentration into the task at hand. She didn't allow any other thoughts to get in, no emotions whatsoever. Nothing else existed in her mind but the next attack, followed by the next, followed by the next. She couldn't let herself get distracted. This was extremely delicate and one tiny mistake could spell utter disaster. Everything she had was going into remaining calm, cool and focused. It… was actually not unlike the meditative state she'd been learning to adopt during Merlin's lessons. Perhaps the old wizard really had known what he was talking about.

Suddenly the tide of battle appeared to take a shift. It felt like the swarm was beginning to lose interest in them. Perhaps it had only been looking for an easy meal and this was far more work than it had bargained for. Whatever the case, a silent signal seemed to pass throughout the ranks of those fiends. Any that were still scattered rejoined the main horde as it made an abrupt serpentine loop and darted off, trying to make an escape.

"Oh no you don't, you nasty lil anklebiters!" Axel snarled, slashing a hand out sideways. Flames burst forth from the cobblestone, stretching high and cutting the swarm off. It swerved, trying to bypass the roadblock, but more towering jets of fire emerged to block its path. The foul creatures kept shifting to adjust course and the flames kept surging up to meet them, arcing around in a huge blazing circle that eventually encompassed the whole courtyard.

Elsa had to act swiftly. It wouldn't take long for those things to realize they still had a way out that was simply straight up. She motioned the children to her, urging, "Quickly, little ones, get between us." They scrambled to do as they were told, huddling down in the middle with Axel and Elsa to either side. She glanced down at them from the corner of her eye, her lips pressed into a grim line.

_Please… don't let me hurt them._

Breathing in slowly, she banished the last of her doubts. Then she threw her arms out wide to both sides and swept them in to cross over her chest. An arctic cyclone swirled up from the ground in a tight ring around the four of them, reaching up towards the heavens. Freezing, tempestuous gales laced with frost and serrated ice crystals rent the air around them and whipped their hair about, hardly a hairbreadth away from tearing at their skin. Narrowing her eyes, she flung her hands forward and the frigid circle expanded, charging out and away from them.

Catching on right away, Axel looked to his own ring of fire and whistled, beckoning it with a jerk of his chin. The inferno only seemed too eager to comply, rushing to close in with the wall of frost. Caught within the rapidly shrinking space between the two deadly elements, the swarm twisted and turned, racing upward to freedom. But it wasn't fast enough. Flames and ice met in a head-on collision, catching the demonic mass in the middle as they slammed together and exploded into scalding, hissing steam that burst outward, spreading everywhere.

The swarm was no more. It appeared to have been totally obliterated and for a few seconds, a hush fell over the square. Then through the haze, a black miasma could be seen suddenly shooting up into the sky. It hit a point high above where it bent and curved back down into another part of the city, as if being drawn in by some unseen force. Weaving a chilly breeze to begin dispersing the steam and keep it away from the children, Elsa watched the smoke-like substance disappear over the horizon with a frown. "Was that…?"

"The Evil getting sucked back into Pandora's Box?" Axel supplied, his eyes tracking it as well. Then he grinned down at her and shrugged. "Here's hoping."

Her lips parted but whatever she had been about to say was lost, replaced with a soft _oof_ as something gently thumped against her stomach. She looked down to discover the little girl hugging her around the waist. It was muffled by the fabric of her coat, but there was no mistaking the tiny, "Thank you," that accompanied the embrace.

Elsa froze, unsure of what to do, her eyes darting about. She slowly lifted a hand, reaching towards the girl's head to give it an awkward pat, but stopped short. Her fingers curled as she retracted her arm against her chest and leaned back slightly.

She was at a total and complete loss for how to deal with this situation.

"Up top, little man," she heard Axel say and she glanced over to see him squatting down in front of the boy and holding a hand out in front of him. The little one gleefully smacked his own palm against Axel's - an odd exchange, at least to Elsa's eyes, but one that seemed to bring a huge smile to the youngster's face. Axel returned it with a chuckle, ruffling the boy's hair. Watching the two of them, Elsa felt the barest hint of a flutter in her chest, causing her brow to furrow before she just shook her head.

Well, at least _he_ seemed to be good with kids.

...probably because he was nothing but a big man child himself.

Holding up a finger to the boy, Axel said, "Now I got a job for you two, and it's _super_ important so listen close. Go find a _real_ good hiding spot and stay there until the coast is clear, got it?" He straightened back up as the boy nodded enthusiastically before turning to scamper off. The girl at last disentangled herself from Elsa and ran to catch up with her friend.

The corners of Elsa's mouth turned down as she stared after their retreating forms. "...do you think they'll be okay?"

"They will be as long as we do our jobs right!" Axel pumped his fist before planting it on one hip. "One down… how many more to go? Who knows! But that's half the fun!" He started walking as he glanced skyward. "Now where'd the glue factory on wings disappear to?"

She moved to follow but with the first step she took, a sudden pain shot up her leg, causing her to hiss out a surprised, "Ah!"

"Huh?" he quirked a brow at her before looking down, his eyes immediately going wide. "Wait, hold up! You're bleeding!"

"I…?" she followed his gaze to where she saw a rip at an inner edge of her coat. Beneath it, blood seeped from a hole that had been torn into her leggings just below her left knee. Both eyebrows shooting up her forehead, she murmured, "But when…? I didn't even feel it."

Axel squinted down at the wound, muttering, "Yeah, adrenaline can do that, but you're gonna start feeling it now for sure. Guessing those pesky gnats managed to take a bite outta you. In any case, we need to fix you up first."

"We don't have time for that. I can walk on it well enough." She strode forward, poorly concealing a cringe with each step. "See? I'm fine."

He _tsked_, rolling his eyes. "You are not fine. Come here." Grabbing hold of her wrist, he led her over to the nearest stone bench at one corner of the courtyard, Elsa grimacing the whole way.

Stopping in front of it, she turned to face him, "But-"

"Sit." Axel's hands went to her shoulders, pushing down and forcing her to do as he ordered. He then kneeled down before her, folding the shredded flap of her coat out of the way before taking gentle hold of her ankle and lifting it up towards him for closer scrutiny of the injured shin. The familiarity behind such an action caused Elsa's cheeks to warm and she tried to wrench her leg from his grasp. He did not let her go however and in fact hardly seemed to notice her attempt to free herself, simply mumbling, "Hold still now, this'll only take a sec."

Elsa groaned, "But there's more important things to be worrying about! You said the faster we saved this city, the faster we could begin the search for Anna." Again, she tried to yank her leg back. Again, his fingers did not budge.

He shot her a dull stare. "Okay, not _exactly_ what I said, but we can circle back around to that later. You won't be much good to your sister if you bleed to death. Dunno if you know this, but see all this red stuff here? You generally want more of it _inside_ of your body than out."

Hands gripping the edge of the bench tightly, she snapped, "Then use your power to cauterize the wound so we can stop wasting time on this already!"

His head jerked back and he blinked. "Cauterize the… you can't be serious!"

"Every second we argue over this is one more second Anna remains trapped in the Organization's clutches, so yes," she looked at him, eyes hard, "I am serious. Do it. Now."

Axel tipped his head to one side as he studied her for a moment, expression unreadable. Then he shrugged, "Gonna hurt. A lot."

She glanced away and closed her eyes. "Just get on with it."

"I mean a _lot _a lot. We're talking scream inducing pain. Tear jerking pain. Mind numbing pain. On the pain scale of one to ten, it's a fifty-seven. The grand high king of pains. Pain to end all pain. The kind of pain that-"

"Would you get it over with already?!" she bit out, face scrunching in irritation. She could practically feel her leg tingling in dreaded anticipation.

"But we're already done."

At that, her eyelids flew open. She looked at him sharply and he just smirked back. Then she looked down to her shin. The gaping rip was still there in her pant leg, frayed edges stained crimson, but the skin beneath was now unmarred and whole once again. It was as if the injury had never happened in the first place. She stammered, "It's… But… What… How… How did you...?"

He raised his palms, fingers waggling, "Magic hands!" At her blank look, he laughed, drawing himself back up onto his feet and giving a dismissive wave. "Just a simple cure spell, no biggie."

"A simple…?" Perhaps she should have been more shocked to learn that such healing powers existed and that Axel had them at his disposal no less. But by now, she had been introduced to so many different kinds of magic that it was beginning to no longer phase her. No, instead of awe, what she was feeling now was annoyance. "You mean you could have done that the whole time?"

A snort escaped him as his hands moved to rest on his hips. "Hey, I _tried _to do that from the get go, but you," he bent down to her eye level, "are too stubborn for your own good sometimes, you know that? I'll say this for ya though, Snowflake… you got moxie. You were ready to burn that wound shut if it meant saving your sister faster." He smiled at her, "Anna is very lucky to have someone so determined coming after her."

"I…" Elsa felt a faint blush creeping up her neck and she quickly broke eye contact, looking to her feet. "...she'd do the same for me."

A neigh suddenly rang out from above. They both looked up to see that the flying horse had returned and was angling in for a landing. It blurred towards the ground, slowing at the last second with a flutter of its wings to alight gently upon the cobblestones a few feet away from them. Nickering urgently, it glanced from them to its back then at them again, seemingly impatient for them to remount.

"Looks like our ride's here. Sounds like it knows where the next baddie is too." Axel faced her once more. "So how 'bout it, Snowflake? Ready for round two?"

There was the briefest of hesitations, then she nodded. "But don't think the discussion regarding the rescue of my sister is over. As soon as this problem is dealt with, we're picking that right back up."

He hummed a soft chuckle. "Looking forward to it," he said, before offering her a hand to help her up.

One corner of her lips turning up, she took it.

* * *

_**A/N:** Would you look at that? It would appear that mayhaps the ice begins to thaw, if only a wee bit xD Still a long way to go with these two, but it's a start! And hopefully you liked the first of the Evils out of Pandora's Box that they faced! Starvation seemed like a nice easy one for them to start off against, especially while they were still working out a few personal issues xD And hopefully I was able to make it abundantly clear that Elsa didn't really mean what she said, she DOES care if people get hurt by these things, she was just scared about ALSO hurting people herself if she tried to help, so she was saying some pretty un-Princess-of-Heart-like things not because she actually felt that way, but just because she was panicking and trying to get out of the whole heroing thing Axel had roped her into xD Anyway, like I said last chapter, we're not gonna see all of the evils they face - I feel like that would just be a lot of chapters with fight after fight after fight and that could get real old, real fast xD (if this were happening in the video games on the other hand, I picture it just being a gauntlet of mini bosses for the player to fight, which I think would be kind of fun!). So yes, most of them are gonna be off camera, but not all! Stay tuned!_

_MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the resplendent and wonderful **Daughter of Kyne** and **ScarletEmperor** for being fantabulous betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to **Spiderfan626**, **Daughter of Kyne**, **TheCrazyAnimeFan**, **ScarletEmperor**, and **SoraKairiRikuNamine** for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your feedback is always appreciated and your support really means everything to me! You all give me so many smiles, I'm not worthy!_

_Fun Fact: More things I found in my research into Pandora's Box - some versions of the myth have the Evils escaping in the form of a swarm of moths that attack Pandora. So me making the first evil take the shape of a swarm of... well, not moths, but still... a SWARM of SOMETHINGS was kind of a nod to that. Sorta. In a way. If you turn your head and squint xD On another unrelated fun fact note, you know when you're playing a KH game and whenever you start a new world, those fancy lil world logos pop up on the screen? I originally had this idea for this story that I wanted to include in each planet's first chapter a world logo like those, but in ASCII art xD However, apparently FFN's system is not a fan of ASCII art and the second you click "Save" on a chapter doc, that ASCII art gets obliterated into an unrecognizable blob of letters and special characters. So yeah, that idea was a big fat no go xD It wouldn't have really added anything to the story, I just thought it woulda been neat! I'm probably not even the first to have the idea - maybe you've seen other authors here who have successfully managed to pull such a trick off in their KH stories? If so, let me know, I'd like to pick their brains!_

_Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! __See you at the next update, lovelies! Which... unfortunately will be a bit of a wait, cuz you know me and my writing at the speed of molasses! But I'll do my best to have it ready for you guys as soon as I can! __If you have any comments or friendly feedback, please make my day and leave a **review**! Reviews are to a fanfic author like claps to a pixie - they give us LIFE! So if you see that it's been a while since I've updated this story, who knows, your review maybe just the kick in rear I need to get me back on track!__ Much love and peace out!_


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